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UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. 



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YOU LOOK AS THOUGH YOU WOULD SUCCEED, HE SAID. 

—Page 33. 



i A YANKEE 

BOY'S SUCCESS 



BY / 

HARRY STEELE MORRISON 

WITH AN INTRODUCTION BY 

CHAUNCEY M. DEPEW 



Illustrated by 
GEORGE T. TOBIN 



* 



NEW YORK 

FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY 

PUBLISHERS 






392 



Copyright, 1898, by 
FREDERICK A. STOKES COMPANY 




W(i COPIES RECEIVED. 



. 'a 






INTRODUCTION. 



WHILE working in my library one evening, I re- 
ceived a note stating that the Boy Reporter was in 
the reception-room and wished to see me. 

The Political, Financial, Railway, Social and Syndi- 
cate Reporters are frequent visitors to my house and 
office, and hardly a day passes without a call from 
the Lady Reporter ; but the Boy Reporter was a new 
sensation and I saw him at once. After he had told 
his story, I was surprised that so modest a youngster 
should have had such success. There was nothing 
loud or aggressive or audacious about him. He knew 
perfectly what he wanted, and he wasted no time in 
having it understood. He soon won my interest and 
sympathy. His confidence in himself and his success, 
and faith in your assistance, were singularly attractive. 
His adventures reverse the rules laid down in novels, 
and which send boys with pistols and scalping knives 
to the plains to fight Indians. It would not be safe 
for other boys to undertake what he accomplished. 
Not one in thousands could get very far without fall- 
ing into the hands of the Chanties' Commissioners, 



vi INTRODUCTION. 

the Society for the Protection of Children or the 
police. 

I think his gentle confiding manner was helped by 
his flowing red hair. There are all sorts of red hair, 
from the Titian tint, which is the artist's envy, to the 
fighting brick-dust, but Morrison's red hair is an illu- 
mination, and you wonder what is underneath it. Kis 
success is due to the fact that he is neither an adven- 
turer nor an impostor. He is transparently seeking 
knowledge of the world. No matter how valuable 
your time, you get the impression that you are helping 
a worthy and laudably ambitious youth in a career 
for which he has demonstrated marked talent. 

He writes well and lucidly, but needs education and 
experience. He conveys a very good idea of the distin- 
guished people who permitted him to interview them. 
He is, like all boys, an impressionist ; the analytical fa- 
culty will develop later. His adventures are so clean, 
and for such well-defined purposes, that he presents a 
fine example of the possibilities for getting on which 
can be utilized by the American Boy. 

His simple story is an object lesson ; it teaches that 
with good character and habits, with industry and 
courage, the American Boy who is early thrown upon 
his own resources can rise by his own efforts and 
make a success in life. 

Chauncey M. Depew. 



J 



PREFACE. 

I HAVE not tried to make this a book of literary 
excellence, with fine passages and flowery phrases. It 
was apparent that it would be useless for me to at- 
tempt it, and I decided to make it a plain, simple nar- 
rative, and send it out to stand upon its merits as the 
true story of the experiences of a sixteen-year-old 
Yankee boy in Europe. 

I have often thought that I should have been very 
thankful if some such book as this had fallen into my 
hands a few years ago, a book that would have given 
me some idea of what I might hope to accomplish 
through perseverance and enterprise. I know that I 
should have had a great deal more confidence in my 
ability when I started for Europe, and might finally 
have achieved a much greater success through the 
knowledge of what other boys had accomplished under 
the same conditions. I had been called foolish and 



viii PREFACE. 

over-ambitious, and was half-inclined to think I was. 
If any other boy had succeeded under such difficulties, 
I should have had greater faith in my ultimate success. 

I do not mean to inspire other boys to make a 
twenty-five-dollar trip to Europe, but I do hope to en- 
courage them to undertake other equally helpful 
things. There are many plans thought out in the 
fertile brains of boys and girls that are quite practica- 
ble, and would be of great advantage to them if car- 
ried out, but they generally decide that they never 
heard of any other boy or girl doing it, and for that 
reason think they would be sure to fail. 

Although the narrative is very unlike the usual 
story of adventure, I hope that it may be interesting 
as a book of that kind, though the adventures really 
occurred. They are experiences that could only hap- 
pen to a Yankee boy, and at the end of the nineteenth 
century. 

At the suggestion of the publishers, the story is 
printed as it was first handed in to them, without any 
editing or pruning by a more experienced hand. An 
introduction has been written by Mr. Chauncey M. 
Depew, and is inserted with a full appreciation of its 



PREFACE. ix 

candid criticism. Being aware of all the circumstances 
of the trip, his opinion is an able and impartial one, 
and will doubtless be enjoyed by the readers of the 
book. 

Harry Steele Morrison. 
New York City, August, 15, 1898. 



CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER I. 

AN OFFICE-BOY IN CHICAGO. — A REMARKABLE 
PLAN ENTERS MY HEAD, AND I PREPARE TO 
CARRY IT OUT 1 5 

CHAPTER II. 

WASHINGTON. — AN INTERVIEW WITH PRESIDENT 

AND MRS. MCKINLEY.— MY FIRST SUCCESS. 28 

CHAPTER III. 

PHILADELPHIA. — NEW YORK. — I ENTER JOURNAL- 
ISM AS A REPORTER. — RUSSELL SAGE. — SEEK- 
ING A CHANCE TO WORK MY PASSAGE. . 36 

CHAPTER IV. 

THE VOYAGE ACROSS THE ATLANTIC AS PANTRY- 
BOY ON A CATTLE VESSEL 47 

CHAPTER V. 

ARRIVAL IN LONDON. — I WORK FOR MY BOARD 
AND LODGING. — FIRST IMPRESSIONS OF THE 
METROPOLIS .57 

CHAPTER VI. 

THE QUEEN'S DIAMOND JUBILEE. — I SEE THE 

QUEEN. — MY IMPRESSIONS OF ROYALTY. . 68 



xii CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER VII. 

I ATTEND A BALL. — MY FIRST EXPERIENCES IN 

LONDON JOURNALISM. 1 EARN A LITTLE 

MONEY 78 

CHAPTER VIII. 

I GO TO HAWARDEN CASTLE AND INTERVIEW 
MR. GLADSTONE. — HOW I GAINED AN EN- 
TRANCE TO THE CASTLE. — A STATESMAN 
AND A BOY 89 

CHAPTER IX. 

I VISIT WINDSOR CASTLE AND ARRANGE TO SEE 
THE QUEEN. — MY TRIALS AND TRIBULA- 
TIONS. — MY INTERVIEW WITH HER MAJ- 
ESTY 98 

CHAPTER X. 

MY LAST DAYS IN LONDON. — LIFE AT THE AN- 
CIENT INN. — I PREPARE TO DEPART FOR 
THE CONTINENT I IO 

CHAPTER XI. 

ACROSS THE CHANNEL. — ARRIVAL IN OSTEND. — 
LACK OF LANGUAGE AND MY CONSEQUENT 
ADVENTURES 119 

CHAPTER XII. 

I WALK TO BRUGES.— MY FIRST LITTLE ECONO- 
MIES. — FROM BRUGES TO GHENT. . .128 



CONTENTS. xiii 

CHAPTER XIII. 

I REACH BRUSSELS. — CHEAP LIVING AND OTHER- 
WISE.— I VISIT THE EXPOSITION. — THE AMER- 
ICAN CORNER I38 

CHAPTER XIV. 

I CALL UPON KING LEOPOLD. — MY STARTLING 

ADVENTURES AT THE PALACE. . . . I46 

CHAPTER XV. 

I WALK TO ANTWERP. — MY EXTRAVAGANCES 
THERE. — I GO ON TO AMSTERDAM, AND EARN 
SOME MONEY 1 55 

CHAPTER XVI. 

FROM AMSTERDAM TO COLOGNE. — I RIDE IN A 
RAILWAY CARRIAGE. — ARRIVAL IN GER- 
MANY. — I BUY SOME TAFFY. — COLOGNE . . 1 66 

CHAPTER XVII. 

I WALK UP THE RIVER RHINE. — A CHEAP LIT- 
TLE INN. 175 

CHAPTER XVIII. 

EMPEROR AND KING. — AT HOMBURG. . . . 1 86 

CHAPTER XIX. 

I REACH SWITZERLAND. — BASLE. — LUCERNE. 

MOUNTAIN-CLIMBING 1 95 

CHAPTER XX. 

LOST IN THE ALPS. — I SEE THE PRESIDENT AT 

BERNE 206 



xiv CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER XXI. 

EASTERN FRANCE. — SICK AND WITHOUT MONEY 

OR FRIENDS. — I REACH PARIS. . . .217 

CHAPTER XXII. 

LIGHT-HOUSEKEEPING IN PARIS. — ADVENTURES 
IN LOOKING FOR WORK. — I EARN A LITTLE 
MONEY 226 

CHAPTER XXIII. 

I INTERVIEW PRESIDENT FAURE. — THROUGH 
BRITTANY TO DIEPPE, AND THEN TO LON- 
DON AGAIN 235 

CHAPTER XXIV. 

MY RECEPTION IN LONDON. — I WRITE FOR THE 
PAPERS. — AN EXPERIENCE WITH THE LORD 
MAYOR AT THE MANSION HOUSE. . . 244 

CHAPTER XXV. 

I MEET SOME FAMOUS PEOPLE, AND PREPARE TO 

LEAVE FOR NEW YORK. . . . .253 

CHAPTER XXVI. 

THE VOYAGE BACK AS A FIRST-CLASS PASSEN- 
GER. — MY ARRIVAL IN NEW YORK. — I CALL 
AT THE NEWSPAPER OFFICES. . . . 262 

CHAPTER XXVII. 

CHRISTMAS IN MATTOON. — RETROSPECT OF THE 

JOURNEY 271 



LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS 



Page 
"You look as though you would succeed, he said. "...Frontispiece. 

" I don't think I ever saw so many dishes." 50 

" Be a good boy, and you'll be a true man, he said." 97 

" Come nearer, my boy," she said, " I can't talk to you so 

far away. " 106 

" I felt like an actual criminal." 149 

" Wished with all my heart that I were in Illinois." 210 

" His very first words sent a chill over me." ? 240 

" Beside me was the Lord Mayor of London." 252 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS, 



CHAPTER I. 

It is safe to say that not one of you has ever heard 
of the small city of Mattoon, in Illinois, a city of some 
ten thousand busy inhabitants, typically western, and 
full of push and energy. For it is only one of hun- 
dreds of such cities, and scarcely interesting to any one 
not born there. Indeed, it was not very interesting to 
me, and I was born there. I hadn't lived in the little 
city fourteen years until I began to be dissatisfied 
with my surroundings and anxious for greater fields, 
as I suppose all boys are at one time in their lives. To 
be sure I had always found plenty to do, what with 
making garden in the springtime and selling vegeta- 
bles to the neighbors before schooltime, scrubbing the 
floor of the public library after school, and sometimes 
assisting the librarian in sending out the books. I 
think I was one of the most active boys in the town, 
and managed to keep myself in clothes and spending 
money from my earliest recollection. 



i5 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

I used to even speculate on a small scale. My 
vegetable trade grew so rapidly that I was unable to 
raise enough in my own garden to supply my cus- 
tomers, and I used to go to an old gardener on the 
edge of the town and buy an additional stock from 
him. I would pay him five cents for rhubarb or onions 
and sell them for fifteen cents, clearing at least two 
hundred per cent, in the operation. 

In the winter, when I had no vegetables to sell to 
my customers, I sold them mince-meat and horse-rad- 
ish instead, being assisted by mother in the manufac- 
ture of them, for though I was willing enough, it was 
quite beyond me to make any acceptable kind of 
mince-meat. 

Gardening and janitoring the library soon grew 
monotonous, however, and little by little, as the weeks 
and months passed quickly by, I found myself looking 
forward to some indefinite future that I felt was soon 
to come. I had by this time entered the high-school, 
and was doing my best with Latin and geometry and 
the other terrors of boyhood but feeling all the time 
that I would ever so much rather be out in the world 
making my own living and seeing something. There 
are hundreds of boys who feel that very way, I know, 
but with me it soon ceased to be a feeling and rapidly 
became a determination. I decided that as soon as 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 17 

school was out in the spring, I would take my small 
saving of fifteen dollars from the bank and go to Chi- 
cago, where I felt sure I could get work as an office- 
boy or " something." The determination grew 
stronger as the spring came round, until finally I looked 
upon it as an accepted fact that I was to go. 

Naturally mother didn't want me to do it, but when 
she saw how much the venture meant to me, how am- 
bitious I was to make the attempt, she withdrew her 
opposition and consented that I should try it, " for 
the summer vacation only." I didn't mind the condi- 
tion attached, that I was to return in September, and 
fully expected to do so. The vacation seemed an age 
as I looked forward to it, and it would be a long time 
for me to spend in the great city. 

So I went to Chicago, alone, and with but little 
money, and after a week of searching secured a place 
as office-boy in a real-estate office. My joy at my 
good fortune knew no bounds. I thought I saw before 
me the open way to great business success and wealth. 
I believed that if I did my very best I would be 
rapidly advanced to higher positions, and who could 
tell where I might finally stand. 

I loved my work for several months, but, little by 
little, as at home, the thought grew in my mind that 
perhaps . there wasn't much chance of advancement 



18 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

after all, and that I had better look for something 
better. I saw clearly that I would probably have to 
be an office-boy for years to come, with hardly any in- 
crease of salary, and with no great opportunities for 
self-improvement. 

Therefore a new ambition came to me. I was anx- 
ious to travel, to be somebody, to see things, and, 
lastly, to be a journalist. That had always been my 
chief ambition, but I hadn't seen a way open for me 
to enter that profession, for fifteen-year-old journalists 
are not often seen. But since I had been in Chicago, 
surrounded on every side by people who had con- 
quered everything and achieved success, it seemed to 
me that there must be a way for me to be a journalist. 
I thought of it night after night as I lay in bed, and 
gradually it occurred to me that perhaps I might be a 
journalist and travel, too. And all at once, when I was 
sitting at my little table in the office one day, I said to 
myself, " I'll go to Europe, and send European letters 
to the papers. Men have done it, so why shouldn't a 
boy do it as well. I know I can write some, well 
enough, anyhow, and, — and I'll go." That was a rap- 
turous moment for me. I felt instinctively that at last 
I had hit upon the very thing to do, and I was all 
eagerness to begin my plans. " Oh," I said to myself 
time and again that day, and the days following, too, 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 19 

"what a thing: it will be for me. I just know I can do 
it, and / will!' 

As soon as I thought of the plan, I saw a way by 
which I thought I could carry it into execution. I 
had saved twenty-five dollars from my three dollars 
and a half a week wages, and that would be enough for 
me to start on, anyhow, and as I went along, I could 
add to it by writing for the papers. I could work my 
way to Buffalo on a lake steamer, and then perhaps I 
could afford to pay my way to New York City, or even 
walk, if necessary. Once in New York, I felt sure I 
would have no difficulty in securing a place as pantry- 
boy on a cattle-vessel, or to do something to earn my 
passage. When I arrived in London I could perhaps 
work somewhere at first for my room and board, and 
then I could write for American papers, and perhaps 
English ones, telling them of my adventures. I 
thought it would be very easy to write for the press 
and get my articles accepted, for I had never had any 
experience. The whole plan seemed perfectly feasible 
to me and easy of execution. 

Itold the men in the office about it that afternoon, 
and all but one laughed at me derisively. Mr. Kirk, 
however, who was fat and fatherly, was interested at 
once, and though he never said anything that I 
could take for encouragement, I felt that somehow he 



2Q A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

thought I would succeed. So from that day on Mr. 
Kirk was my only confidant. He always listened to 
me, though he never helped me along any. No doubt 
he felt that it was too important a thing to be encour- 
aged without thought. Every one else I mentioned it 
to only laughed and joked about it, so finally I deter- 
mined to keep my plans to myself. If none would 
encourage me, why, I said, I didn't need their encour- 
agement, and I went bravely about making what few 
plans were necessary for my departure. 

First of all I visited the editors of the various 
Chicago newspapers. I knew that it was important 
for me to make a connection with some paper before 
leaving, for then I would have a little something to 
depend upon. I was bright and hopeful before I made 
the round of the editorial rooms for the first time, 
but when I came out I felt something like a wet 
kitten looks. The editors, of course, had received me 
courteously and asked me to be seated. Then they 
all looked at me curiously and asked me how old I 
was. When I said that I would soon be sixteen they 
smiled, and carelessly asked me what I wanted. They 
every one treated me the same, with one exception, 
so in describing one interview I am describing all. 
When I told them that I expected to leave for Europe 
in a week or two, and intended to interview Mr. Glad- 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 21 

stone, take in the Queen's Jubilee and see the Queen 
herself, they invariably straightened themselves up in 
their chairs and took a renewed interest in me. Evi- 
dently they thought me a curio, anyhow. Then they 
would listen to my plans for making the trip and 
carefully assure me that I would certainly not be able 
to carry them out, and that they were afraid I 
wouldn't see London this year. They tried to dis- 
courage me in every imaginable way, and I think they 
really felt that I was foolhardy and likely to come to 
grief. 

When I broached the subject of articles, they only 
said that if I did succeed in reaching the other side 
they would be glad to read anything I might care to 
send in, but they couldn't promise to take any of the 
articles. And then I would get up and go out, feel- 
ing discouraged in spite of myself, but not the less 
determined to go. 

Mr. Kohlsaat, of the "Times-Herald," was much 
more kind than any of the others, but even he didn't 
think I would succeed. He agreed, however, to 
print any articles I would send him, and with that pro- 
mise I was obliged to content myself. So I didn't 
get much encouragement from Chicago editors and 
had little to depend upon when I finally took my 
departure. 



22 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

Up to this time I hadn't written a word of my plans 
to the folks at home, and I began to wonder what they 
would think of the project. I felt in my heart that 
mother wouldn't want me to go under any considera- 
tion, and I was almost afraid to write and ask her 
about it. At last, though, I wrote, for I knew it 
couldn't be put off forever. And when I sat down to 
write the letter, I couldn't decide how to begin it, so 
finally I simply put in large letters at the top of the 
sheet — 

ANNOUNCEMENT. 
Dear Mother: 

I expect to go to Europe in a week or ten days — 

and then I went on and told them something of my 
plans, as much as I knew myself, and that wasn't 
much. I begged mother not to say I couldn't go, for 
I felt that I just must do it, and I couldn't be office- 
boy any longer. " It would just kill me," I said. And 
I sealed the letter and posted it, and awaited the 
answer with fear and trembling. 

It came the next day but one, and it was evident 
that mother had lost no time in replying. I tore 
open the envelope, and then almost cried from vexa- 
tion, for all my appeals had been in vain. She wrote 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. n 

that if I said another thing about such a wild-goose 
chase she would send an officer up to bring me home, 
for she wouldn't think of letting me do such a thing. 
The letter was a long one, and there was no mistaking 
its meaning. Every page simply bristled with objec- 
tions, and when I sat down to try and answer all the 
arguments set forth, I had a hard task before me. 

But I was no less determined to win her consent, 
and every day after that for a week I wrote home 
twenty-five page letters, setting forth all the reasons I 
could possibly invent why I should go. And I did as 
much as I could to ridicule some of her objections, 
but I know I failed dismally in a few cases. I had to 
confess that it did seem to be a foolish thing to do, 
but I still felt that I could carry it through, and used 
all my ability as a writer to convince mother of that 
fact. 

At last my persistence seemed to have some effect, 
and one day she wrote that since I was so persevering 
in wanting to go I would surely succeed when I did 
go, so I might as well do it if I pleased. 

I think I have never received a letter that made me 
more happy, and a few days after my sister came up 
from home to say good-bye. She wanted to persuade 
me from going if possible, but if not, why, she would 
encourage me all she could. I told her before she had 



24 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

been with me an hour that it would be useless to try 
the first plan, and she didn't try to keep me from going 
after that. And when she returned to Mattoon she 
must have reassured mother, for her letters took on a 
more cheerful tone after that. 

Since I had mother's consent, and there was noth- 
ing further that I could do with any of the editors, 
there seemed nothing to defer my departure. And 
time, too, was beginning to be precious. If I wanted 
to be in London for the Queen's Jubilee I would have 
to hurry, and, of course, I would be obliged to spend 
some days in New York before sailing. In fact, I 
knew that I would have to allow myself a great deal 
of time for delays, for I wasn't making the trip by a 
time-table. 

I resigned my position in the office a few days before 
leaving, and since by this time every one saw that I 
was determined to go, I received many good wishes 
and hopes for success. Good Mr. Kirk, moreover, 
didn't limit himself to mere good wishes, but insisted 
on buying me a new suit of clothes and a pair of 
shoes, for I needed them badly. His kindness helped 
me more than anything else to start out in good spirits. 

A piece of great good fortune came to me when I 
was in the midst of looking for a chance to go to 
Buffalo on a steamer. It occurred to me all at once 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 2$ 

that I might be able to secure a pass to New York if 
I asked for it, and I lost no time in visiting one of the 
city's leading men and making my request. He heard 
my story with great interest, and when I had finished 
he wrote me out a pass to Philadelphia. So on one 
of the most beautiful days in the latter part of May I 
left for the east by train, instead of by steamer, full of 
hope, ambition, and determination to succeed. 



CHAPTER II. 

As the limited train sped east from Chicago and I 
sat very still, with my face pressed up against the 
window, a sudden thought entered my mind. And 
the more I considered it, the more pleased with it I 
was, until at last I decided that it was worth trying, 
anyhow. I took my ticket from my pocket, and upon 
examination found that it provided for a stop-over at 
Washington, and I determined to take advantage of 
it. I might never have another chance to see the 
capital city, and then, I said to myself, who knows but 
what I may be able to see the President, and even 
Mrs. McKinley. What a triumph that would be! It 
alone would make mother glad that she had allowed 
me to take the trip. So long before the train ap- 
v proached Washington, I had decided to make a great 
effort to see the President and Mrs. McKinley. 

The journey to the Capital was a most interesting 
one to me. The mountain scenery of Pennsylvania 
and Maryland was a new world to me, and I thought I 
had never seen anything so beautiful. I couldn't be- 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 27 

lieve that I would find the Alps any more beautiful 
than this, for I thought such a thing impossible. 
Everything was new and wonderful, and everything 
was interesting. 

I had not ridden long before I made the acquaintance 
of a man in the seat behind and was soon telling him 
all about my plans and what I expected to accomplish 
while I was gone. He took a most active interest in 
me after that, and soon the whole car knew where I 
was going and what I was going to do. After that I 
didn't lack for company, for every one was curious to 
know what kind of a boy I was, anyhow, and to learn 
something of my history. So for many hours I held a 
veritable " levee " in the car and found myself quite 
the lion of the hour. 

When the train pulled into Washington I gathered 
up my band-box, which contained everything I had 
brought along, and left my new acquaintances. They 
wished me all the success imaginable and I left them 
in good spirits, resolved to see the President if it took 
me days to do it. Every one looked askance at my 
band-box, but I didn't care at all, because I couldn't 
afford a portmanteau, and the box had seemed the next 
best thing. I had already learned that it was best to 
put up with what I could afford and pay no attention 
to criticisms. 



28 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

The first thing I did in Washington was to look for 
a place to stop over night, and I was fortunate in find- 
ing a cheap but comfortable boarding-house where the 
landlady agreed to keep me for a small sum. She 
said I would have to sleep on a hard couch in the 
parlor, but I wasn't going to object to that when I 
had started out ready and willing to sleep on the 
ground, if necessary. So I left my band-box at this 
place and started out to see the city. I had explained 
to the landlady that I was on my way to Europe and 
that I had twenty-five dollars in my pocket, and she 
looked at me much as small children look at the ani- 
mals in the menagerie, but she was good and kind, and 
I didn't object to her curiosity. 

I went at once to the Capitol and enquired for the 
senators from Illinois. I had met Senator, Cullom 
before and had corresponded some with the other, 
who had given me a letter of reference before I left 
Chicago. They were both glad to see me started on 
my trip and gave me a warm welcome to the Capitol, 
showing their interest in my adventures in many 
pleasant ways. They were, of course, rather doubtful 
about the success of the trip, but I turned their dis- 
couraging remarks aside and told them that I would 
come and see them both upon my return, just to 
show them that I had succeeded, in spite of all their 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 29 

wise remarks to the contrary. They laughed heartily 
at this, and doubtless expected to hear from me next 
at Chicago, back where I had started from. 

From the Capitol I decided to go to the White 
House, for I thought I might as well try to see the 
President at once and have it over with. It wasn't an 
entirely pleasant thing to look forward to, for I knew 
I would have a great many things to overcome before 
I would be admitted. So it was natural that I should 
want to have it over with as soon as possible. I went 
out Pennsylvania Avenue until I came to the Mansion, 
and then I stopped and actually hesitated about 
entering. The fact that Jackson and Lincoln and so 
many others of my boyhood heroes had lived there 
made it seem almost sacred ground and deterred 
me from entering. But I reflected that though I 
might be a little in awe of Lincoln, were I to see him, 
I wasn't in the least afraid of kind Mr. McKinley, 
whom I had seen before, at a distance. 

I walked boldly up the broad steps and past the 
officers at the door. They stopped me, of course, 
since I was only a boy, and boys don't usually call on 
the President. But I had an answer ready for them, 
and told them that I was going to the secretary's of- 
fice, at which I was allowed to pass. In fact, I hadn't 
any idea where Mr. Porter's office was, but knew that 



30 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

I would be more likely to get by if I assured them 
that I wasn't after the President. I had no trouble in 
finding the secretary's office, and when I entered it I 
encountered another august official, pompous and 
severe in manner. He was a colored gentleman, very 
much colored, and as broad as he was tall. He placed 
himself squarely in my path as I walked in and asked 
me in no uncertain tones as to what I was after. I 
foresaw trouble and, assuming a very dignified man- 
ner, I informed him that I wanted to see the secretary 
and see him I would. I also told him that it wouldn't 
be any use for him to oppose me, for it was important, 
and I couldn't possibly leave without having seen Mr. 
Porter. 

He looked at me with a ludicrous expression on his 
face, and he was apparently trying to decide what 
course to pursue. " Don' you know that this here 
ain't no time ter see Mas'r Porter, child ? " he said. 

" I don't know," I said ; " I think I'll wait here 
until he comes out, anyhow, and then we'll see whether 
this is the time or not." And with that I took a 
seat, and the doorkeeper, who has been there for 
many administrations, retired to his place by the door. 
But he watched me furtively as long as I was there 
and was puzzled as to what he ought to do. He had 
probably had few young westerners to deal with and 
didn't know how to handle them. 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 31 

The room in which I was seated was a large one, 
and every chair almost was filled with people who, 
like myself, wanted to see Mr. McKinley. Most of 
them were office-seekers, men and women who had 
come from every part of the country to beg an office 
from the President. Few of them ever succeed in 
seeing the President, much less get an office, and they 
sit there day after day, looking decidedly pathetic 
and pitiable. 

I hadn't been seated long before Mr. Porter came 
out from his office to speak to some one. I knew him 
at once from his published pictures, and when he 
had finished with the person he came to see, I went 
boldly up to him and stated my desire. I told him as 
much as I could about my plans, and he appeared 
interested at once. "Just sit down here until after 
four o'clock, and then I'll see if you can't see him," he 
said, and I was happy at once. My prospects for 
seeing the President were very good indeed, I thought. 

When four o'clock came, every one was told that 
the President's office was closed for the day, and they 
would have to come again the next day. The office- 
seekers, who had failed once more, arose and filed out 
of the room, and I was soon the only one left. 

Then Mr. Porter came out of his office and asked 
me to follow him. " I guess the President will see 



32 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

you now," he said, in his pleasant way, " and he is 
more likely to talk now than he would be in the busy 
part of the day." I followed him through several 
rooms, a little nervous, and feeling that one of the 
most important events of my life was about to take 
place. We went through room after room and ar- 
rived at the private office. It was a handsome room, 
not very richly furnished but dignified, and such a 
room as one would expect the President to have. I 
felt my heart in my throat as we entered, but my ex- 
citement was without reason, for Mr. McKinley 
wasn't there. I was wildly disappointed as I real- 
ized that perhaps I wasn't to see him after all, but 
Mr. Porter reassured me. " Never mind," he said, 
" we won't stop now. I suppose he's in the sitting- 
room. Come along." 

So then we went through some more rooms and 
reached the private apartments of the Mansion. We 
seated ourselves, and Mr. Porter ascertained that the 
President was changing his coat and would be out in 
a moment. While we were sitting there Mrs. McKin- 
ley entered the room, and I was thus given the unex- 
pected pleasure of an introduction to her. She looked 
very sweet in a light blue wrapper, and I thought I 
had never seen any one so perfectly delightful. Her 
personality was wonderfully attractive, and I couldn't 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 33 

have been better pleased with any one. The Presi- 
dent soon emerged from his room and I was pre- 
sented. Mr. Porter told him what I had started out 
to do, and he took a real interest in the plan and 
encouraged me very much. "You look as though 
you would succeed," he said ; " your red hair would 
make you do it if nothing else, and I feel sure you'll 
get along all right. Keep your wits about you and 
don't get into bad company, and you'll succeed." 

That and much more did he say, and I was in rap- 
tures over such words of encouragement from such a 
man. He seemed to me then the very ideal of every- 
thing that was to be desired in a man — handsome, 
honest and genial, with character looking out from the 
windows of his mind. He impressed me more than I 
could ever say, and I never had such a love for my 
country as at that moment. I could almost imagine 
what Washington and Jefferson looked like, and de- 
cided that all our Presidents must be wonderful men. 

When I arose to take my departure, after more 
words of encouragement from Mr. and Mrs. McKin- 
ley, I thanked them from the depths of my heart for 
their great goodness to me, but they said they wished 
that there was more that they could do. Then I 
shook hands with them and with Mr. Porter and hur- 
ried out of the Mansion and down the steps. I simply 
walked on air as I walked away between the rows of 



34 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

fine old trees, and decided that I had never met any 
one quite so nice before. " If I am only as successful 
in all my efforts as I have been this afternoon," I said, 
" I need have no doubts about my ultimate success," 
and I hurried away to the boarding-house to tell the 
kind landlady about my success. It was too good to 
keep to myself. 

I remained in Washington over night, and early 
the next morning I left for Philadelphia, where I had 
planned to spend a few hours in sight-seeing. I 
wanted to see everything possible on my way and not 
miss a single thing. Had I known what a time I was 
to have in the " Quaker City," I think I would have 
gone on through to New York. But I couldn't tell, 
of course, what was likely to happen, and it was just 
as well, as I found time and again before my pilgrim- 
age was over. 

When I arrived in the city I went at once to Inde- 
pendence Hall, only to find that it was " closed for 
repairs." I couldn't imagine why they should repair 
such a valuable relic, but had to go away without see- 
ing it. I then went down to the river, hoping to find 
a boat that I could take to New York, for my pass 
couldn't be used for the rest of the journey. It was 
to my interest to save every possible cent, and I 
hoped that the fare by water would be cheaper than 
by rail. I went along the docks to a steamer that 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 35 

was to sail for New York and asked the captain to 
allow me to go with him. He said that they didn't 
carry any passengers. "But can't you take just me," 
I pleaded, " I won't take up much room." " I should 
say not, and get out of here now or I'll kick you out," 
and the brute gave me a push to emphasize his re- 
marks. I was almost wild with anger, but what could 
I do ? Then for the first time I felt just a little home- 
sick and almost wished that I hadn't started. I soon 
felt better, though, and resolved to pay no attention, 
since I must expect such treatment from some people. 

I went back into the business part of the city and 
tried to get into the government Mint, that I might see 
them making money out of bullion. It was too early, 
however, to get in there, and I determined to take a 
train at once for New York. I felt disgusted with 
everything in the city and wanted to get out as quickly 
as I could. I went down to the ferry and took the 
first train out of the city, reducing my slender sum of 
money by two dollars and a half to pay my fare. 

The train sped on across New Jersey, and just as 
the twilight was beginning to deepen into night I saw 
the towers and spires of New York loom up in the 
distance, and a fear that all might not turn out as I 
had hoped crept into my heart, for it is a terrible 
thing to land in a great city alone and at night, par- 
ticularly when you are only sixteen years old, 



CHAPTER III. 

AFTER searching for some time that Friday night, my 
first night in New York, I succeeded in finding a very 
cheap hotel. I engaged a room there and, tired with 
the day's adventures, went to bed to dream of wonder- 
ful things to happen on the morrow. It was a lone- 
some time for me. I didn't know a single person in 
all the great metropolis, and everything had seemed 
so strange, so terribly strange, as I walked about look- 
ing for a place to sleep. I had supposed that New 
York would be very much like Chicago, but it was as 
different as it could be, and I could not feel at home. 

The next day was Saturday, and I was awakened 
early in the morning by the traffic in the street with- 
out. I arose and hastily washed myself, and then 
went out to get some breakfast. Outside the door of 
the hotel I stopped a moment. I thought to myself 
that I was in a strange position. Here I was, all safe 
in New York, but what would I do next, what should 
I do? I decided that some breakfast should be my 
first thought, and I went out into Broadway and 
bought some coffee and rolls. 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 37 

It was too early to visit any of the vessels in the 
harbor and ask for work, so I walked down the street 
to the Battery and sat for some time watching the 
innumerable boats steaming here and there in the har- 
bor. It was a sight that I had never seen before, and 
it made me more anxious than ever to go to Europe, 
to see so many vessels of all nations in the harbor. It 
had a fascination for me, and I sat there for hours, 
without noticing the passage of the time. 

Finally I arose and went up Broadway, wandering 
aimlessly along, with scarcely any object in view, and 
wondering what I had better do next. I was truly 
worried, and was beginning to appreciate the magni- 
tude of my undertaking. I wasn't sorry at all that I 
had started but felt that I had set out on a very un- 
certain pilgrimage, uncertain in its ending and uncer- 
tain in its profits and advantages. 

As I walked along the street I looked up and saw 
before me City Hall Park, with the great " World " 
building lifting its dome high in the air. And when I 
saw it, I remembered that I had been advised to see the 
editor of that paper, and I lost no time in crossing the 
park and entering the editorial offices. A small boy 
was at the door and told me that I couldn't possibly 
see the evening editor, as he was too busy. " I must 
see him," I said, quietly, and walked right into the 



38 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

office. I enquired for the editor, and he was pointed 
out to me. I went up to his desk and took a chair at 
his side. " I am going to Europe in a few days," I 
said, "and I hoped that I could send you some 
articles from there while I am gone. I am going to 
interview Mr. Gladstone and the Queen and I don't 
know how many other people while I'm gone." 

The editor looked at me. "Is that so?" he said, 
and I could see that he was interested. "Yes, I'm 
going," I replied. The editor called a reporter and 
told him to " write me up." " Get his story," he 
said, " he's a good one." Then he called one of the 
artists and asked him to sketch me. It was now my 
turn to be surprised, and I looked about me in a 
scared sort of a way and wondered what all this 
meant. The reporter, whom I liked from the first, re- 
assured me. " We're going to give you two columns 
on the front page, and it will be a great help to you." 
I then began to understand and was soon telling my 
interviewer all "about myself, while he looked at me 
curiously. "Can you write as well as you can talk?" 
he said, finally, and when I told him that I had always 
thought^ could%rite better, he said that I had better 
write my own story then. "Me write it?" I asked. 
" Why, yes," said the reporter, " why not ? " I 
accepted things as they came and sat down at a table 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 39 

with pencil and paper. In half an hour I had written 
the required article, and in the meantime the artist 
had made a sketch of me, so that now I thought I 
was done. 

The editor, however, thought differently. " Go 
across the street," he said, "and see Mayor Strong. 
Tell him that you're going to London and ask him to 
give you a letter to the Lord Mayor there. Hurry 
back and have a story ready in a few minutes." 

I did as I was bid. Hurrying across the street to 
the City Hall, I had no difficulty in entering the office 
of the Mayor. I waited until he was disengaged and 
then went up to him. " I am going to Europe, Mr. 
Strong, and am without anything to depend upon, 
and am going alone. It would help me very much 
indeed if you will give me a letter to the Lord Mayor 
of London, who could help me in many ways over 
there." 

The Mayor looked at me. " No," he said, " I won't 
give you any letter, because I don't believe in them. 
I came to New York without a cent, and with no 
letters either, and look at me." 

I looked at him. " If you, sir, have been through 
such experiences yourself, I should think that you 
would be more obliging to other boys who are 
obliged to depend on their own efforts for a living." 



40 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

And with that I walked out of the office, and the last 
I saw of the Mayor he was sitting in his chair looking 
at me with open mouth and eyes. 

I returned to the " World " office and wrote out 
the result of my visit. I told how the Mayor had re- 
ceived me coldly, declining to give me a letter, and 
how I had told him my opinion of his action. When 
I turned it in to the editor he was very much pleased 
with it, and gave orders to put it in the next edition. 

As I was crossing the street a few moments after- 
ward, I heard the newsboys crying " Extra World," 
and as I glanced at the papers in their hands I thought 
I saw my name on the front page. I snatched at one 
and handed the boy a nickel, becoming lavish in my 
haste. And there, sure enough, was my name, and two 
entire columns relating the story of my trip this far. 
There was also my picture, with Mr. Gladstone beside 
me, and I could hardly believe my eyes. " Surely I 
must be dreaming," I said, for I had never imagined 
that I would be given such a flattering reception. I 
read the article through time and again, for it was my 
very first newspaper effort, and I was more proud than 
I can tell. 

That night I mailed copies of it to all my friends 
and to the folks at home, and later learned that they 
were quite as proud as I, and mother even said that 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 41 

she was glad I had gone. On the whole, it was quite 
the happiest day I ever experienced, and I was raptur- 
ously happy. I didn't think of the morrow, finding 
enough to fill my mind in the happy present. 

My article appeared in every edition of the after- 
noon paper, and there are five. It did me good to see 
people reading it as they went home in the cars, and I 
felt myself to be a small-sized hero. I felt almost like 
crying out to them that I was there, near them, for I 
supposed they would want to see me. It is a good 
thing for us that such moments of great happiness don't 
last long or we would do many strange things. 

As soon as I had written my second story I left 
the newspaper office, after the editor had told me to go 
to Coney Island on Sunday and see what I thought of 
it. He told me to be sure and have it in on Monday, 
when he would have something else for me to do. 

I filled the rest of my time on Saturday with sight- 
seeing, and on Sunday I visited Coney Island. I had 
never seen such a place before and was wonderfully 
impressed with the noise, the crowds, and varied at- 
tractions. When I went back to my room at night I 
wrote a story about what I saw, and the editor was 
satisfied with it when I gave it to him on Monday. 
He said I had great descriptive powers, and I was 
happy again. 



42 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

Early on Monday morning, when I went again to 
the newspaper office, I was told to go and interview 
Russell Sage. I looked at the editor in astonishment 
when he said it but decided that I had better not say 
anything. In truth, I would rather he told me to inter- 
view any other man in New York than Mr. Sage, for 
I had heard so many stories about his meanness, 
stingy character, and general ill-humor. I didn't 
know how to go at it, either, for I knew he wouldn't 
see any one at his office if he could avoid it. And I 
knew he disliked still more to see any one at his house, 
so, after deliberation, I decided to see him at his 
office if I could. 

I had no trouble in finding his office. It is not the 
one you would expect him to have, for it is located in 
one of the finest new office-buildings in the city, and 
is fitted up with everything necessary to an office. In 
some things, though, it is very different from other 
offices, as I soon found when I entered. 

When I opened the door of the outer room I found 
myself in a small, cage-like enclosure, with two doors 
opening from it, and two tiny windows. All the doors 
and windows were tightly sealed, and no one seemed 
to be near. I didn't know what to make of such an 
arrangement and was about to go away, when I saw 
one of the doors open and an old gentleman walk out. 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 43 

I knew in a minute that this was Mr. Sage, and in a 
moment I resolved to stop him in the hall, and then I 
would have no further difficulty about seeing him. So, 
as he went back into the office again after something, 
I hurried out and placed myself where he would have 
to pass, and when he came I went boldly up to him. 
He stopped and looked at me kindly, and when I 
asked him to see me when I came the next morning 
he said he would. He was very kind in every way, 
and I was delighted with my success in getting an 
audience. 

It was fortunate for me that he came out when he 
did, for when Russell Sage once gets behind those 
doors and windows, no one gets to him. Since his ex- 
citing experience with a dynamite bomb a few years 
ago, he takes care that no unknown person gets near 
him in his office. 

I placed myself in the little cage very early the next 
morning, for though Mr. Sage had promised to see me, 
I was afraid that after he was in his office he might 
change his mind. Therefore I went early, that I might 
speak to him as he entered. He wasn't long in coming, 
being an early riser, and of course he couldn't do any- 
thing but take me in with him. So at last I was in- 
side, and as Mr. Sage opened his mail and read the 
day's quotations from the ticker, I talked to him about 



44 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

my future, and asked him for advice regarding it. I 
asked him what he thought was the one great secret 
of getting rich, for the editor wanted me to get his 
opinions on such things. " You must save," he an- 
swered, " you must save, save, save, and as you gradu- 
ally get a little money to invest, you must do so, for 
it's no use to have it idle." And he went on to im- 
press it upon me, that whatever else I did, I must 
save my money or I'd never be rich, and he was so 
forceful in his remarks that I was much impressed. 

I finally went away very much pleased with him, 
and firmly convinced that most of the newspaper 
stones printed about his stingy nature are untrue. 
Mr. Sage is economical, of course ; that is the secret 
of his success, but economy isn't a sin. 

My interview with Mr. Sage, which was published 
the next day, practically closed my work on the pa- 
per during my stay in New York. I was too busy 
during the last days to write any, so I wrote a fare- 
well letter, which was printed on the day I sailed, and 
that was the last. 

My last week was a weary time for me. Day after 
day I visited every vessel I could see along the 
wharves, hoping each time that I would be given a 
chance to earn my passage across the ocean. For 
though I had made a little money in New York, I had 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 45 

also spent some, and was but little better off than on 
my arrival. So if I wanted to go to Europe there 
was nothing for me to do but work my way. I might 
have bought a steerage ticket, of course, but that 
would have taken every cent I had, and I wanted a 
little left when I landed. Therefore I had to keep on 
trying, discouraged as I was, to get a place as pantry- 
boy, or anything at all. I told the stewards that I 
would scrub, or peel potatoes, or do just anything, if 
they would only let me go, but usually they only 
looked at me scornfully, swore at me, and told me to 
get out. I wasn't strong, but I was willing, and felt 
sure that I could make myself useful some way. 

Day after day I failed in getting anything to do, 
and finally I grew almost despondent and was ready 
to do most anything. For the first time I wished I 
hadn't started out, for these disappointments day af- 
ter day were more than I had looked forward to, and 
I felt that I couldn't stand the suspense any longer. 
So one morning I determined to engage a steerage 
passage and one of the great liners was to sail that 
very morning. I had no sooner made my decision 
than I picked up my band-box and rushed down to 
the pier, hoping that I would be in time. I ran all the 
way, and when I reached the pier, ready to fall from 
exhaustion, there was the great vessel out in mid- 



46 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

stream and I was too late. I stood there stunned. 
Everything seemed against me, and after a while I 
went over and sat down on the pier, and for the first 
time in months I cried. 



CHAPTER IV. 

It was, after all, fortunate that I didn't succeed in 
boarding the great liner that Thursday morning, for 
the accident saved me at least my twenty-five dollars, 
and there's no telling how much more. For after I 
had sat there on the pier for an hour, and had become 
more reconciled to the condition of things, I deter- 
mined to look again for a chance to work my way. 
There would be no other fast steamship for several 
days, and in order to be in London for the Jubilee I 
must get one of the slower vessels, of which there 
would be several sailing on Saturday morning. 

As soon as I had determined to try once more I no- 
ticed in the next dock a handsome freight steamer, 
which I could see was to sail for London on the com- 
ing Saturday. I decided to call on the steward, hop- 
ing that perhaps he might treat me better than others 
had done and let me do something to earn my pas- 
sage. I went up the gangway to the deck and found 
him there. I told him how much difficulty I had 
been having and how anxious I was to see the Dia- 
mond Jubilee. He looked at me a while, and then he 



48 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

said that he didn't know but what I could make my- 
self useful in some way, and that I could come back 
the next day, when he would know for sure whether 
he had a place for me. My joy at this knew no 
bounds. I thanked him from the bottom of my heart, 
for somehow I felt sure that I would get the place, 
and I imagined myself already safe in London. 

On Friday I went again to see him, and he said that 
he would take me and that I must come on board 
that night, since the vessel was to sail early the next 
morning. I hurried away to my little room, packed 
my few things in my band-box and brought them 
down to . the steamer, and that night I went aboard, 
stepping for the last time on American soil. 

I was shown to my quarters for the trip by old 
u Butch," the watchman, and I found much to interest 
me in my surroundings. I was assigned to a small 
room, in which seven others beside me were to sleep, 
and I found that things were going to be rather 
crowded. There were eight little bunks about the 
walls of the room, one above another, and I chose one 
of the upper ones, hoping that it would be cooler than 
the others. 

I had difficulty in finding a place for my band-box, 
small as it was, and was finally obliged to swing it by 
a string from the ceiling. When I undressed to spend 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 49 

my first night in a steamer bunk, I had no place to 
put my clothes, and ended up by stuffing them under 
the straw tick. Then I tried to stretch myself out 
and go to sleep, but to my dismay the bunk was too 
short for me to lay at length in and too narrow for me 
to sleep in bear fashion. So, on the whole, I was very 
uncomfortable and passed a weary night. 

Towards morning I succeeded in going to sleep but 
was rudely awakened by old " Butch," who yelled that 
it was high time for me to be up. " Don't be lazy, 
my lad," he said, and as I looked at my watch and saw 
that it was half past four o'clock, I thought that there 
was no danger of me being so, if I was to get up that 
early every morning. I managed to get out of the 
bunk without falling, and as there was no place to 
wash, I went up on deck just as I was, and that was 
pretty dirty. I found the steward waiting for me, 
ready to assign me my work, and I soon learned that 
I was to help in the pantry during the voyage, being 
chief dish-washer, for one thing. I wasn't sorry to 
hear this, because I thought that dish-washing would 
be simple, but when I went into the pantry and saw 
the dirty dishes piled up there, I saw it wasn't going 
to be so easy after all. But I rolled up my sleeves and 
began, and from that time on to the end of the voy- 
age I washed dishes most of the time. From four in 



50 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

the morning until nine o'clock at night the dishes 
kept pouring into the pantry, and to keep from getting 
entirely swamped I was obliged to wash and wash 
and wash. Dish-washing isn't particularly hard when 
you have but a few, but when it becomes an all-day 
job it's very different. 

I don't think I ever saw so many dirty dishes as I 
washed that first day. I rolled up my sleeves and 
went at the work in earnest, but I no sooner had one 
pile cleared away than another would come in, and 
finally I became exasperated because I never seemed 
to get done. " When are these dishes ever going to 
stop coming in ? " I ventured to ask " Pants," as the 
fat pantry-man was called. And for my impudence I 
had some more shoved at me, and I was wild with 
vexation. There was another boy in the pantry, who 
was much older than I, being twenty, anyhow. He 
usually did the wiping, while I washed. He was used 
to the work and didn't get tired, but I thought I 
would drop before that first day was over. 

As soon as the evening dinner was over, and I had 
at last succeeded in getting every dish washed, I ran 
away down stairs to my little bunk, which was as 
welcome to me then as an eider-down couch would 
have been. I got a good scolding from " Pants " the 
next morning, but I didn't care. I had an idea that I 




I DON'T THINK I EVER SAW SO MANY DISHES. 

—Page 50. 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 51 

needn't be so very particular about what I did now 
that we were away from land. " They can't take me 
back, anyhow," I said to myself. " Pants," though, 
soon convinced me that they could do something else, 
and gave me a good fright for my impudence in think- 
ing such things. " You'll get put in chains and shoved 
down in the hold if you don't work right," he said, 
" and when we get you to land we'll put you in jail, 
and you'll not get anything to eat but bread and 
water." I trembled in my shoes and resolved then 
and there to do my best to be a good pantry-boy. 

Sunday, the second day out, was a memorable day 
for me, because it was then that I first felt the horrible 
pains that come with sea-sickness. I was seized with 
horror when I first noticed them, for I had dreaded 
the terrible malady ever since I thought of undertak- 
ing the trip, and now that it had at last come, I didn't 
know what I would do. I told " Pants " what was 
coming, and he said it was all nonsense and that I 
was trying to get away from my work. Then I went 
and ate as many lemons as I could, hoping that they 
would keep it off, but they didn't do any good. It 
kept coming steadily on, worse and worse, until finally 
I gave one great gulp and ran out on the deck. It was 
raining and the boards were wet, but I laid myself 
right down, for I wasn't caring for anything, I didn't 



52 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

go back to the pantry that night and passed a terrible 
time in my bunk, so that when I went up the next 
morning I was pale and as ill as I could be. " Pants * 
gave me a cool reception and said that I had better 
stay below, since I wasn't much use in the pantry, any- 
how. But I went on with my work until afternoon, 
when I again had to lie down. 

All day Monday and on Tuesday also I was very 
ill, and some of the time it was quite impossible for 
me to work. " Pants " kept sending the other pantry- 
boy after me to tell me to come up to the pantry but 
I couldn't do it. I knew that " Pants " would be angry 
with me, but it was impossible for me to remain in the 
hot, stuffy pantry all the time. 

On Wednesday I was myself again but I was never 
again in favor with " Pants." Indeed, I seemed to be 
in trouble all the time, and it was evident to me that 
I wasn't born for a pantry-boy, whatever I might be- 
come in time. I tried conscientiously to do things as 
they should be done, but somehow I just would break 
dishes, and the coffee wouldn't be good, though I made 
it precisely as I was told to do. The coffee, in fact, 
was the source of most of my tribulations. It was my 
duty each morning to make it, and I did it as well as I 
could. I know I followed the directions " Pants " gave 
me, but it was most always too cold, or there were 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 53 

grounds in it, or it was too weak. I finally gave up 
trying to improve it and bore my daily scolding as a 
matter of course. After my arrival in London, when I 
was talking with some of the passengers, one of the 
ladies remarked that she had never in her life tasted 
such terrible coffee as they had on the boat, and I said 
with great humility, " Yes, I made it." The mystery 
was explained. " No wonder it was bad," they said. 

Another of my duties was to keep the hot-water 
tank filled, and though I put water in it every time I 
could remember to do so, it always seemed to be 
empty. And every time it was empty " Pants " 
reminded me of it with great emphasis. Indeed, I 
never seemed to do anything to suit old " Pants," who 
was continually finding fault with everybody and 
everything. It really seemed to be his chief delight 
to scold me. 

I also had charge of the keys to the cold-storage 
room, where I was sent a hundred times a day for 
something. And those keys were another source of 
misery to me, because they were the hardest things 
imaginable to keep track of. The stewards used to 
take them from the nail where they were kept and not 
return them to the same place, and then when 
"Pants" happened to want them and they weren't 
there I was to blame, of course. One day, when the 



54 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

voyage was about half over, my troubles with the keys 
reached a climax. In the midst of dinner, when 
everything was rush and bustle, I was sent to the cold- 
storage room for some milk. I opened the door and 
went in, laying the keys on a shelf. And then, when 
I had filled my bucket, I went out and sprung the 
lock, with the keys still inside. It was some moments 
before I realized what I had done, and then I was 
dumb with horror. No one can imagine my feelings, 
for having been in a continual state of terror of 
" Pants " I thought that he would simply murder me 
for this. How I longed to get away from the ship, 
but that was impossible. 

I at last decided to go to the chief steward, who 
had given me the place, and to my great joy he 
reassured me. " It's all right," he said, " we can 
break the lock." And break the lock they did, and 
" Pants " never heard anything of it. 

The ship's sculleryman made things uncomfortable 
for me very often. He was a half-witted fellow, of 
massive build, and with the strength of an ox. He 
took a violent dislike to me from the first, though I 
didn't do or say anything that could have offended 
him. He seemed to gloat over me as a tiger over its 
prey, and said time and again that he was only waiting 
for a chance to kill me. I was terrified beyond descrip- 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 55 

tion at such threats from such a man, but the stewards 
said for me not to mind him, as he was harmless. But 
as the days passed by, and he grew more and more 
vicious, I became afraid that he might do me some 
harm, for he slept in the same room with me. I went 
to the chief steward and complained about him, and 
he said that he would have him attended to. But he 
continued his threats, and I was always in a state of 
terror at night and couldn't sleep. I asked to be 
allowed to sleep in another room but was told that 
there was no other place for me. 

Finally the affair reached a climax one night. I 
was sitting quietly on the after deck, thinking of home 
and my future. Just around the corner from me 
were several of the stewards, who were enjoying the 
cool evening breeze after their hard day's work. It 
was moonlight, and as I turned my head I saw stand- 
ing over me the brutal sculleryman, looking down at 
me with a grin on his face. He saw me look up and 
made a step forward. " I've got you now, and I'll 
fix you, too," he growled, as he came another step 
nearer. I understood his intention in a moment. He 
was going to throw me overboard, and as he came at 
me I gave one scream that brought the stewards to 
my side in a moment, and the beast was scared off. I 
was weak from fright and came near fainting. The 



$6 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

incident was reported to the steward, and the idiot 
was carefully watched during the remainder of the 
voyage, while I was allowed to sleep on deck. 

Such were a few of the things that made the voy- 
age an eventful one. Of pleasures I had few, finding 
my chief delight in listening to the cattle-men's yarns 
on the deck at night. These men, who were earn- 
ing their passages by tending the cattle, had traveled 
the world over, and seemed to have an inexhaustible 
fund of good stories and tales of adventure. They 
were very good to me, and I became good friends with 
them. We used to sing every night on the after deck, 
popular songs on week-days and hymns on Sunday, 
and our concerts were not bad, either. 

I finally came to feel much at home on the boat. I 
wasn't sea-sick after the first experience, and after a 
while my dish-washing became machine work and I 
was used to it. " Pants " at last ignored me entirely, 
for which I was thankful, for anything was better than 
one continual scolding. I longed, of course, to arrive 
in London, though I had but little there to look for- 
ward to. 

At last, on the eleventh day out from New York, 
the good ship entered the English Channel and pro- 
ceeded up to London. During these last two days I 
was in ecstasy, for I was soon to put foot on Europe 
for the first time. 



CHAPTER V. 

It was on June 18th that our good ship anchored in 
the muddy Thames off London town. The famous 
river was full of boats of all shapes and sizes, and the 
scene was new and wonderful to me. Little tugs, 
puffing and blowing, hurried up and down the stream, 
great heavy barges floated lazily with the current, 
steamers carefully picked their way among the smaller 
craft and out to sea, and the wharves were lined with 
sailing vessels which were waiting for a breeze to come 
up that they too might seek the open sea. The river 
was not a beautiful one at all, and not as large as I 
had expected it would be, but it was interesting and 
romantic. 

The vessel had anchored in the river to allow the 
health and customs officers to come aboard, and they 
were some time in doing so. After they had finished, 
the passengers were to be landed, and then we were to 
go down the river again to Deptford, where the cattle 
would be unloaded. The crew wouldn't be allowed to 
leave until night, and, as I was counted in their num- 
ber, I was afraid that I, too, would have to remain all 



58 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

day with the great city before me, and me longing to 
be in it. There was another reason why I wanted to 
disembark in the morning, too, and that was my de- 
sire to avoid the idiot sculleryman. I had heard some 
grewsome tales of the London docks, and decided that 
I would rather not be there alone with him. 

I sought the steward and told him my desire, and 
he wouldn't listen to anything of the kind. I then 
went to the first officer, who was English and very 
English. He looked at me with a frown. "You 
American boys think you can do about as you please, 
don't you ? " he growled. " Well, this is once that you 
won't. You'll stay on here till we get ready to let 
you off, do you hear? Now get out of here and don't 
let me hear any more o' this nonsense." 

I lost no time in accepting his invitation for me to 
get out and hurriedly sought my cattlemen friends 
down in the lower deck. " What do you think," I 
said, " they're going to make me stay on here all day, 
and I think it's uncalled for. And I'm afraid of that 
idiot, too." The cattlemen rose to the occasion. 

"Are they, indeed?" said one of them, "we'll see 
about that," and they all put their heads together to 
devise a way to outwit the first officer, for they shared 
my dislike for him. Finally they arrived at a decision. 
"Have you got a shilling?" one of them asked me. 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 59 

" No," I said, " but will a quarter do?" " It's all 
the same," they said; " now we'll tell you what to do. 
You see that rowboat there near the bank?" "Yes," 
I said. " Well, we'll get that man to come over here 
with it, and we'll hang the rope ladder over the side 
of the ship, up near the prow, and you can climb over 
and get in the boat. Once you're in the boat and pull- 
ing away you're all right, because they're not going 
after you." 

I was a little shocked at the boldness of the thing 
and suggested that perhaps that would be a wrong ac- 
tion to take, but they only scoffed at the idea. " Why, 
they'd keep you on here a week if they could," said 
one of them, " and I don't blame you for being afraid 
of that idiot. He's liable to do 'most anything to you." 
So I decided to run away and told them to get the 
rowboat over. I had my band-box ready at the ship's 
side, and I went and told the steward, who had been 
so good to me, what I was going to do. He laughed 
and cautioned me to be careful. " Don't let them see 
you," he said, " or they will make it hot for you." I 
told him good-bye and thanked him for his kindness. 

The boat was at the ship's side, the ladder was in 
place, and the cattlemen were there ready to pull it up 
after me. The coast seemed all clear, so I shook 
hands with them all, threw my box into the boat, and 



60 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

followed as quickly as I could. I reached the boat 
without accident, and the man pulled rapidly toward 
the shore. As I looked back I saw the stewards ges- 
ticulating wildly, and I knew that my escapade had 
been discovered. Soon the first officer appeared at 
the rail, and I could see that he was simply wild with 
rage. The Yankee boy had escaped after all. 

In a few minutes the boat reached the bank and I 
jumped out, wild with joy. " In Europe at last," I 
cried, " I'm so glad, so glad ! " The man looked at me 
in amazement, but I couldn't expect him to appreciate 
my feelings, since he didn't know what I had been 
through to get to London. 

I stood on the dock and looked about me. There 
on my right hand was the famous old Tower of Lon- 
don, grim and terrible, but just as I had expected to 
find it. Before me, and only two or three squares 
away, was old St. Paul's, with its great dome rising 
above everything around. It was all so grand and so 
inspiring that I could have shouted in the fullness of 
my enthusiasm. Everything was fully up to my ex- 
pectations so far. 

I sat down on a box and tried to figure out just how 
I stood. I found that I had nearly all of the twenty- 
five dollars with which I left Chicago, so that thus far 
my trip had paid for itself. I must now get a place to 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 61 

work for my room and board, for I had a long journey 
still before me and nothing but my twenty-five dollars 
to depend upon. I might get some money from Amer- 
ican newspapers but again I might not. It was best 
not to depend on it, anyhow. 

I left my seat and walked up to great St. Paul's and 
stood looking at the magnificent structure for some 
minutes. Then, realizing that I had no time for sight- 
seeing yet, I called a newsboy and bought a " West- 
minster Gazette," for I wanted to see if any one was 
advertising for a boy. I had changed my money into 
English currency, so I had no difficulty in buying it. 
I opened the paper, and after looking it over several 
times succeeded in finding the " ad " columns. I 
looked down them with an eagerness that made me 
oblivious to my surroundings, so much so that I was 
barely saved from being run over by a cab. I wasn't 
yet used to London traffic. 

I had searched for some moments before I found 
anything suitable, and then, just as I was about dis- 
couraged, I saw that, "A boy is wanted at No. 7 
Fetter Lane, E. C, to work for his room and board in 
a pleasant inn." 

" Oh, how fortunate," I said to myself, and then, 
asking an officer which way to go, I hurried off to the 
given address, for I was afraid some London lad might 



62 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

get there ahead of me. But no, I was the first one to 
apply, and when I told a kind old lady in a white cap 
my history, she said I might bring in my box and 
she would look no further for a boy. She said she 
liked my looks and thought I was pretty brave. I was 
too happy for utterance that I had succeeded so soon 
in finding a place to stay and brought in my box 
at once. 

The old inn was one of the quaintest places imagin- 
able, a solitary relic of some bygone age, for it was 
very old indeed, almost ready to fall down. It was 
situated in the oldest part of London and surrounded 
on every side by narrow, dark streets and buildings 
that were almost as old as it was. It was just such a 
house as I had expected to find all over London but 
which I didn't find in very great numbers. The hand 
of progress has been laid too heavily on the city for 
many such relics to survive. 

The landlady was kind indeed to me. My work 
was easy. She only asked me to help with the fires 
in the morning, trim the candles, scrub sometimes, 
and sweep the floors. It was pleasant work, and while 
I was doing it I used to imagine that I was some boy 
of the time of Washington. The idea, I thought, of 
me being in this old English inn, trimming candles 
and making fires in great 'fire-places. I tell you it was 
decidedly romantic. 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 63 

I had the whole day to myself and could do just 
what I pleased, in the afternoons, anyhow. You can 
guess what I did. I walked from early morn till late 
at night through those narrow, dark old streets, peek- 
ing in at the many-paned windows of some old 
princely dwelling and exploring every little court that 
I came across. That was very little that I didn't see 
in that most interesting quarter of London. 

My first impressions of the British were perhaps 
unique. I opened my mouth in perfect amazement 
when I first saw the English girls. They were so very 
different from American girls, and so different from 
what I had expected to see. They all impressed me 
as being tall and " willowy," as the English say. 
They were all rather pale, save for a spot of red 
(natural, I hope) which appeared on either cheek. 
Their hair reminded me of that seen on most wax 
dolls. They invariably made it stand out behind as 
far as possible, and in front they frizzed it in the 
fashion that went out here a decade ago. Their 
clothes never seemed to fit them and were generally 
far from being fashionable. Altogether, I could never 
make myself believe that the English girl was any 
extraordinary creation, though various Britons tried 
their best to convince me of that fact. 

I liked English men better. Their clothing particu- 



64 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

larly caught my eye. It invariably fitted them, and 
they always looked neat and clean, and as I have 
never learned the secret of making that delightful 
appearance, I was immediately impressed with them. 
They were all very much alike, however, and decidedly 
uninteresting as a whole. English boys were still 
more uninteresting, if such a thing were possible. 
They have not the Saving grace of wearing nice 
clothes, and for some time I always laughed when I 
met one of them on the street. The fashions for boys' 
clothing must have originated somewhere in the six- 
teenth century ; they seemed outrageous to me. The 
poor boys' trousers must needs be strapped tightly to 
their knees, and they very often wore the kind of 
black jackets most affected by the waiters in Ameri- 
can restaurants. They also wore large white collars 
over these jackets, and altogether presented a comical 
appearance to my critical Yankee eye. 

I was soon much interested in observing the modes 
of travel in London. There were no trolley cars, no 
cable cars, and no elevated railways. But they have 
what the good easy-going Londoners are pleased to 
call " trams." The name seems to express in its very 
sound the idea of slow-pokiness. They go along at a 
rate of about two miles an hour, and the people are 
quite contented to ride in them. They are ten times 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 65 

worse than our horse-cars, to say nothing of our swift 
trolleys. But besides the trams there are omnibuses, 
or " buses " for short. And these are not so bad ; 
in fact, they are very delightful to ride on. They go 
along " middlin " fast, and have seats on top, from 
which you are in danger of falling, and that danger is 
what makes the ride so delightful, for a risk is always 
attractive. 

And then, in addition to the trams and buses, there 
was that famous underground railway. It was beyond 
description and a terrible thing to ride on. Running 
through a dark, dirty tunnel for its whole distance, the 
cars begrimed with dirt of every kind, the air enough 
to choke one, it was an ordeal for me to sit there for 
the few blocks I had to go. I never rode on the fa- 
mous underground but once. It is well patronized, 
however, by the Londoners. It is their nearest thing 
to our elevated railroads, and they are obliged to use 
it if they want to go anywhere in a hurry. 

I liked the English people from the first. It is true 
they appear cold and reserved at first, but I found 
that when I once became acquainted I had friends 
that could be depended upon. They are justly proud 
of their " English honor," though that doesn't extend 
to national affairs. They have no memory, for instance, 
of their defeats. I found that the majority of people 



66 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

knew nothing about our revolutionary war, and the 
school children told me that in school their teachers 
scarcely mentioned it. I picked up one of their school 
histories one day, and this is what I read: "About 
this time there was some trouble with the colonies in 
America. They suddenly evinced a hatred for the 
mother country that was startling in its ferocity, but 
things were soon made quiet again by the fleet and 
army, which were both despatched to New York as 
soon as the trouble commenced." 

I was immensely interested in this extract, too, re- 
ferring to the war of 1812 : "The young American 
Republic caused us some trouble in the year 1812. 
They persisted in asserting their supremacy upon the 
high seas, and we were compelled to subdue their 
ridiculous attempts in the manner they deserved." 
So England subdued us in 1812. This is news to most 
Americans, I'm sure. 

But on the whole I found that our English cousins 
bore us no malice and were inclined to be very 
friendly. It was in the talk of the men who used to 
gather in our inn that I learned the most of the feel- 
ing towards us. I also learned that every Englishman 
hates Germany, for the simple reason that Germany 
is pushing ahead in the foreign trade. And in the 
conflict that every Englishman knows is sure to come, 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 6y 

they will look to us for help, for they have no ally in 
Europe. Every one recognized the gravity of the sit- 
uation, and Germany was the general topic of conver- 
sation. And it was only two days till the Jubilee, 
too. 



CHAPTER VI. 

Of course the one great event to which I had 
looked forward during the first days of my stay in 
London was the Queen's Diamond Jubilee. The 
great event which had occupied the attention of the 
entire civilized world was now only two days off, and 
I was consequently full of anticipations for a wonder- 
ful time. I had been reading about it so constantly 
for months beforehand that my expectations were 
very much exaggerated, and I really expected some- 
thing beyond description, though I had no very defi- 
nite ideals of what the celebration should be. 

There were many evidences on the day of my arrival 
that the Jubilee was not far off. In St. Paul's church- 
yard, and the other public squares through which the 
procession was to pass, great stands had been erected, 
which were capable of seating many thousand people. 
Already enormous prices were being asked for seats, 
running all the way from one pound up to a hundred. 
Decorations in electric lights were being placed in 
front of the Bank of England, the theaters, and the 
principal stores, and every little cottage, no matter 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 69 

how lowly, had begun to put out its bit of bunting 
and the letters " V. R." in pasteboard or whatever was 
most handy. All London seemed to be occupying 
itself in decorating for several days beforehand, and 
on the evening before the eventful day everything 
was finished. The city had a marvelous appearance, 
for they seem to know more about the art of decorat- 
ing in England than we do. Not only bunting and elec- 
tric bulbs were used, but there were also thousands of 
pounds spent for flowers. Money wasn't considered, 
so long as the whole was in honor of the Queen. 

The preparations for a great crowd were on a large 
scale. All the hotels and restaurants, laid in provisions 
for feeding a vast multitude of hungry folk, and every 
one who could possibly spare a vacant room was adver- 
tising it for rent, and at fabulous prices. There were 
many predictions that the city couldn't contain such a 
throng as would come, and others wagged their heads 
and said that some of the grand stands were sure to 
fall, and people would be crushed in the crowd, and 
any number of other terrible things. 

All Britain was interested in the weather, and there 
were as many predictions as people almost. Many 
were sure that it would rain, while others insisted 
that the heavens would send down fire to celebrate 
the wondrous occasion. The more sensible ones, how- 
ever, were confident that the day would be fine. 



;o A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

I wasn't particularly enthusiastic over the event, 
though I couldn't help but recognize the importance 
of the Jubilee to the British people. They were proud 
of the fact that no other nation had ever celebrated 
such an occasion, and were crying " God save the 
Queen " continually from morning until night. I 
never saw so much enthusiasm, not even in a presiden- 
tial campaign. And there were minor celebrations ar- 
ranged all over the kingdom, so that the enthusiasm 
was scarcely greater in London than in the thousands 
of towns and villages in England and Scotland. 

I awaited the day with more curiosity than enthusi- 
asm. I was determined to show everybody that I didn't 
care anything about royalty, and declined to show 
any special interest in the proceedings. I decided 
that it would be un-American to do so. The good 
landlady at the inn couldn't understand how any one, 
English or not, could keep from being excited, and 
said that I must be ill, not to show any more enthu- 
siasm for Her Majesty. I told her that at home we 
had such events every four years, and therefore I had 
become used to them. She looked at me in amaze- 
ment. "Jubilees every four years!" she repeated; 
" why, what have you got to have a jubilee over? " I 
explained to her that we didn't have jubilees, but 
presidential elections, which were quite as good. 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 71 

The great eventful day at last came round. I think 
all London arose at about four o'clock that morning 
just to see what the weather was like. They were 
made happy by as fine a day as London ever had, for 
the sun was shining brightly and there was scarcely a 
cloud to mar the blue of the sky. At the first rays of 
dawn the whistles were blowing all over the city and 
the bells soon followed suit. Thus the day was 
ushered in with a grand welcome to the Queen, who 
had spent the night at Buckingham Palace. 

At six o'clock most people had eaten their break- 
fasts and were on their way to the streets through 
which the procession was to pass. All the trams and 
buses and the underground were crowded with pass- 
engers, and many people had to walk great distances 
in order to get there at all. But though there were 
many in the Strand and the other thoroughfares at eight 
o'clock, there was by no means the great crowd that 
had been expected. I was there myself at that hour, 
and I looked about me in vain for any signs of a jam. 
It turned out that many had remained at home in the 
daytime for fear of the crowd, and these all went to 
the city at night, when there was a jam. 

As I said, I was myself in the Strand at eight 
o'clock, looking about me for some vantage spot from 
which to view the procession. I saw with delight 



72 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

that the grand stands were only about two thirds full, 
so that many speculators lost money on their deals. 
The crowd was not uncomfortably large, and I sup- 
pose I would have been able to see everything from 
the street, but I preferred to have a seat somewhere. 
And as I looked around me for a place I spied the 
church, of St. Clement Danes, which has a wide ledge 
running around it. I decided that this ledge would 
be a good thing to sit on, for the church fronted 
directly on the street, and in spite of the efforts of an 
officer to make me keep off, there I was when the 
procession finally passed. 

There was very little noise of any kind, and I was 
quite disgusted with such a crowd. I had supposed 
that they would have a regular Fourth of July cele- 
bration, but never was I more mistaken. The Eng- 
lish take their fun more quietly. There was no traffic 
at all in the accustomed thoroughfares, and but little 
in any part of the great city. All of the prominent 
stores closed the doors and most of the smaller ones 
in the suburbs. 

It was a long time before the procession arrived in 
the Strand, but I saw much that interested me in the 
interval. I saw in the street below all the types to be 
found in London, the costers from Whitechapel, the 
aristocrats from the West End, and the working class 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 73 

from the suburbs. It was a wonderful panorama of 
faces, for London is thoroughly cosmopolitan in its 
population. 

It was easy to tell when the procession was nearing 
me. The crowds grew more and more enthusiastic as 
the music grew nearer and nearer, and I could see 
them waving their hats far down the street as it came 
in sight. There was a great crush when it finally 
approached us, caused by the people rushing in from 
the side streets. I was very glad that I had secured 
my lofty perch, for many were trampled on before the 
police restored order again. 

It would be quite useless for me to describe the 
great gorgeous pageant in detail, for it was beyond 
description. It surpassed in its magnificence any- 
thing that I had ever seen or read about, even in fairy 
tales. I found myself holding my breath in admiration 
as troop after troop of richly uniformed horsemen 
rode by, almost near enough for me to touch them 
with my hand. And then there were soldiers on foot, 
who were quite as handsome as the mounted ones, 
and there were detachments of marines from the 
navy-yards. 

I was almost carried away by so much gold leaf 
and rich red velvet, and when at last the carriages of 
the royal family approached, I joined in the wild 



74 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

enthusiasm which took possession of the crowd, and 
found myself shouting " God Save the Queen" as 
loud as. any of them. I reproached myself for it after- 
wards, though it was a perfectly natural thing for any 
one to do under the circumstances. 

• After several divisions of mounted soldiers and 
soldiers on foot had passed by, it was evident even to 
a blind man that the carriage of the Queen had ar- 
rived. The noise was almost deafening for a few mo- 
ments, and I found myself wondering how she stood 
so much din. When I stood up on my ledge I had no 
difficulty at all in seeing her, and I held my breath as 
I took my first view of a real live queen. As long as 
she was in sight I stood there on tip-toe, straining 
every nerve to take in all the details of her costume 
and her person, for I didn't know then that I would see 
her again. And I must say that I was disappointed 
in what little I saw of her. The carnage passed 
rapidly and I couldn't see her very well, but I was 
sure that she wore no crown, and had not even a scep- 
ter in her hand. I had fondly hoped to see her with 
all her state robes, though if I had stopped to think, 
I would have seen how impossible such a thing was. 
To me she seemed short, dark complected, wifh gray 
hair and eyes, as well as I could see, and with an air 
of dignity that was certainly queenly. Her face didn't 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 75 

seem half as cross as in her pictures, and I almost 
thought she'd make a very good grandmother. 

After her came some other members of the royal 
family, the Prince of Wales, of course, and many 
others, but there wasn't anything of real interest to 
me after she had passed. Most of the crowd went 
away, leaving the colonial troops and the others to 
pass with only a feeble salutation. 

I had to remain on my perch from necessity, but I 
was so much occupied in thinking of the Queen that I 
didn't really notice what else was in the procession. 

"Am I disappointed in her?" I asked myself more 
than once, and was obliged, in truth, to say that I was. 
If she had only worn a crown I might have felt differ- 
ently, but to me a queen without a crown is very much 
like a church without a steeple, and deprived of much 
that makes her attractive in the eyes of Americans at 
least. All the pictures of queens in books have crowns 
and scepters and flowing robes, and naturally I had 
expected Queen Victoria to wear the same. But she 
didn't, and one more of my boyish ideals was rudely 
shattered. 

When the procession was over and the crowd had 
thinned enough for me to leave my perch on St. 
Clement Danes, I hurried to the little inn to tell the 
good old .lady what the Queen looked like. She had 



;6 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

been too feeble to go out, and since she hadn't seen 
her ruler for many years she was curious to know if 
she had changed much. " Does she look better than 
I ? " she asked, pathetically, " you know we are the 
same age ; and I wonder which is better looking now," 
she continued. " Oh," I replied, " she isn't as good- 
looking as you. She looks old, and worried, and worn 
with the weight of her heavy crown." The old lady's 
face brightened. " I always said I was glad I wasn't 
in Victoria's place," she said. 

Jubilee night was much more delightful than the 
day had been. The streets everywhere were thronged 
with people, especially in the district where the pro- 
cession had passed in the morning. Every one seemed 
to have turned out, even those who had remained at 
home in the morning to avoid the crowd. The con- 
sequence was, of course, that the crowd was much 
greater than had been expected, and the police were 
almost unable to handle it. It took me a half an hour 
to walk one square in the Strand, so dense was the 
throng. 

The illuminations were superb. There were crowns 
without number, and the letters " V. R." were in front 
of almost every building. Then there were flags, and 
pictures of the royal family, all made with electric 
bulbs. It was all very beautiful, and I would have en- 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 77 

joyed it had the crowd been smaller. I don't believe 
any one had a good time, for it was four o'clock in the 
morning before some of those from the suburbs reached 
home. There were comparatively few accidents, 
though, and, on the whole, the day was voted to have 
been a grand success in every particular. 

As for me, I had worn myself out completely trying 
to see everything that was to be seen, and fighting my 
way through the crowd to do so. I realized that it 
would be many years before another event of such 
magnitude would take place, and I determined to see 
this one in all its glory. But, on the whole, I was 
glad when it was over and I was safe in bed in my 
attic. It was a wonderful day for a Yankee boy, and 
I will remember it forever. 



CHAPTER VII. 

FOR several days after the great Jubilee had come 
and gone, and London had settled down into a sem- 
blance of its former self, I worked away contentedly 
at the little inn. In the morning, at five o'clock, I 
made the fire in the kitchen fire-place, for the cook- 
ing was all done over an open fire. Then, when the 
fire was made, I brushed the room out neatly and put 
things in order for the arrival of the maid, who came 
down at half past five. 

When the kitchen was all clean, I went into the 
little tap-room at the front of the building and swept 
it out also, and every other morning I scrubbed it as 
well. When the tap-room was clean, I took down all 
the lamps and filled them with oil, for though the 
dear old landlady had a horror of kerosene, and 
wouldn't allow it in the bedrooms, she was obliged to 
have it in the tap-room, for even Londoners won't 
have candles in public orifices. Every morning I 
filled the scuttles with coal, piled a box full of wood, 
and then, after I had run a few errands to the grocers 
and other places round about, my day's work was 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 79 

practically over. I was usually through by ten o'clock, 
and then I had the rest of the morning and the after- 
noon for my very own, and I made good use of my time. 
I started out in a different direction each morning, 
going one day to the East End, another to Hyde 
Park; sometimes to Westminster, and again to Battersea 
Park and the district south of the Thames. In that 
way there was but little that I didn't see one time or 
another, and I became quite a well-known character in 
certain districts of the city. I used to spend a good 
part of my time in Whitechapel and the neighborhood 
most frequented by Jack the Ripper, of whose ter- 
rible deeds I was never tired of hearing. I found a 
weird fascination in looking up the houses where some 
of his murders were committed, and I used to love to 
explore the dark alley-ways and courts where he used to 
walk about. And I enjoyed watching the coster-folk, 
with their quaint little donkey-carts and queer cos- 
tumes. They were so very different from any people 
I had ever seen, and I was very much impressed with 
them and their mode of life. The little donkeys 
which they drive around from morning till night, 
hitched to carts filled with vegetables, were a source 
of never-ending enjoyment to me, and I never rested 
until I had a ride behind one of them. I went up to 
one of the costers one day, and begged him earnestly 



80 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

to allow me to drive it just a block, and he laughingly 
consented, a little too readily, it seemed to me. But 
I didn't suspect anything, but jumped in, and started 
off. I hadn't gone far before I found that I knew very 
little about driving donkeys, for this one started off at 
a great pace, and seemed determined to pitch me out 
on the pavement. I saw that a catastrophe was im- 
minent and decided to jump out, which I did, rolling 
over and over on the cobble-stones. I just saved myself 
from being run over by an approaching team and got 
up not much the worse for my adventure, save for sev- 
eral little bruises on my arms and legs. The wayward 
donkey was stopped by a policeman a few blocks away, 
and everything turned out all right. But thereafter 
I admired the little beasts from a distance, having seen 
quite enough of their peculiarities. 

The coster-folk interested me more, I think, than 
any other class of people in Europe. The girls, with 
their everlasting blue dresses, feathered hats, and 
stringy bangs, presented to my eye a most interesting 
appearance. And when I saw them out at Hempstead 
Heath one day, having a holiday, dancing to the music 
of the street pianos, I decided that they were a strange 
set. They weren't pretty, and their clothing was 
after a fashion of their own, but they were honest, 
hard-working, and decent in every way, so that every 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 81 

one in London must respect them^ though most people 
wouldn't be associated with them. They live apart 
from every one else, in a district of their own. They 
have their own pleasures, sorrows, and temptations, 
and they battle with them bravely. Altogether, I 
learned to have a very high respect for them and 
thought a great deal more of them than I did of the 
aristocrats of the West End. 

Two or three days in the Hyde Park district gave 
me a wondrous insight into the city's fashionable life, 
and when I managed to make my way to the Duchess 
of Devonshire's famous fancy-dress ball, I saw all the 
aristocracy of England in one mansion. The ball had 
been looked forward to and talked about for months 
beforehand, and was to be the chief social event of 
the Jubilee season. I read about it every day in the 
papers until I finally determined to attend it if such a 
thing were possible. It was an occasion that I 
shouldn't miss, if I wanted to see anything of high 
life in London. I puzzled my brain for several days, 
trying to think of a way to gain admittance to the 
ball. At last it occurred to me to see the Chamber- 
lain, and perhaps he could arrange for me to look on 
from a distance. I went up to Devonshire House and 
saw the gentleman, telling him of my trip from Amer- 
ica and how very anxious I was to see the ball. He 



82 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

was very pleasant to me and said that if I would pre- 
sent myself at a certain door on the eventful night he 
would see that I got in and had a place to watch the 
proceedings. So I did as he told me, and sure enough 
he had left orders for me to be admitted. 

I was conducted through several rooms, and finally 
entered a dressing-room, where the footman handed 
me a servant's uniform, which he told me to put on. 
I was astonished at this, but he explained that I would 
have to be either a servant or a guest, and it would be 
safer for me to be a servant, since all the guests were 
known, and there were no boys among them. I 
donned the uniform, and I was placed in one of the 
doors opening to the ball-room. " Stand right here," 
said the man, " and don't say a word to any one. You 
couldn't have a better place to see the ball." 

I was in ecstasies of delight. The very novelty of 
my position, a servant to an English duke, was enough 
to make me happy, and then I was to see all the 
famous earls and dukes in Britain, and the Prince and 
Princess of Wales as well. It was a great occasion for 
me, and I stood as still as I could until the guests 
began to arrive. The great ball-room was one great 
mass of flowers and ferns, and hundreds of candles 
made the chandeliers brilliant with light. The orches- 
tra was stationed in a ferny nook off the large room, 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 83 

and everything seemed too perfect. The Duke of 
Devonshire is probably the wealthiest man in Eng- 
land and one of the leading Peers, so expense was 
not considered in the decorations. 

It would be impossible to describe that wonderful 
night. As I look back upon it, I think it must have 
been a dream, for it was a veritable night in fairyland. 
The brilliant costumes of the ladies, the handsome uni- 
forms of the men, and the jewels that sparkled every- 
where, made the scene more like some fairy frolic than 
an actual London ball. There were dukes and 
duchesses without number, and earls and countesses 
and knights innumerable. Some of the ladies wore 
their coronets, and that of the Princess of Wales im- 
pressed me particularly, being the nearest thing I had 
seen to a crown. I was always on the lookout for 
crowns during my stay in London, and the only one 
I saw was locked up in the Tower, where it didn't 
look queenly in the least, but more like some tawdry 
stage affair. 

I played my role of servant to perfection, and the 
entire evening passed without any incident, as far as I 
was concerned. I was near enough on several occa- 
sions to have touched the Prince of Wales, but no one 
said anything to me, and I stood as quiet as a mouse. 
I was glad, though, when it was all over, though I 



84 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

wouldn't have missed it for anything. Even royalty, 
though, becomes tiresome, when you have co stand up 
all the time to look at it. I thanked the Chamberlain 
most heartily for his great kindness to me, but he said 
he often did that, and sometimes made a good sum 
through it, too. 

All the time that I was exploring the East End 
and attending fancy-dress balls at Devonshire House, 
I was wondering how I was going to make some 
money during my stay in London. I wasn't spending 
very much of my twenty-five dollars, but I wanted to 
have a little more than that, if possible, when I left 
London for the Continent. And though I thought a 
great deal about the subject, the only feasible plan was 
for me to venture into London journalism, and this 
didn't seem very easy to do, either. I had been very 
much impressed with London papers from the first. 
They were so staid and commonplace, and so academic 
in style, compared to our American journals. It took 
me some time to find any news in them at all, though 
I finally became partially acquainted with them and 
learned the location of the various departments pretty 
thoroughly. At first I didn't like them at all, but 
before I left London I became used to them, and 
decided that they were not so very bad, though they 
didn't have any pictures. 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 85 

They never have any reading matter on the front 
page and very little on any page. A few American 
papers are copying them in the plan of giving the first 
page over to advertising, but I don't think it has 
proved a very great success. Then in the arrangement 
of the news, and in the news itself, there is a wonderful 
difference. They never give the details of things that 
happen. The mere fact that some one has been foully 
murdered, or that China has been seized by Russia, 
is not deemed sufficient excuse for printing more than a 
bare paragraph or two, in which the fact itself is stated 
and nothing else. There is none of the elaboration 
and detail that one sees in American dailies, and there 
are no "scare-heads"; just a plain line in small type. 
They devote much space to little paragraphs relating 
the events of the day in various European capitals, 
something which we never do, since we are not much 
interested in the movements of Prince or Princess 
Blank of Austria or Montenegro or some other out- 
of-the-way place. One of the strangest departments to 
Americans is the invariable " Court Circular " which 
all the papers print. It is very short, and records in 
quaint language the doings of the previous day at 
Windsor, or Balmoral, or wherever the Queen happens 
to be staying. This is the way it runs. Isn't it 
funny ? . 



86 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

" The Queen drove out yesterday morning, accom- 
panied by H. R. H., Princess Henry of Battenburg. 

" The Hon. Harriet Lane has been succeeded as 
lady in waiting to Her Majesty by the Hon. Char- 
lotte Long. 

" The Hon. Sir Slowwood Edwins has arrived at the 
Castle." 

As soon as I had determined to try and write for 
London papers, I went to the " Evening News " and 
asked to see the editor. The boy at the door in- 
sisted upon knowing what I wanted to see him about, 
and I was obliged to confess that it was only manu- 
script that I had. And I didn't believe I would get 
in at all after such a damaging confession, but the boy 
must have described my appearance, for the editor sent 
for me to come in. I went upstairs and entered his 
sanctum, and when I was seated I related to him the 
story of my adventures since I left home. I told him 
that I had considerable ability as a journalist, too, for 
I hoped to impress him that way. I had been told 
that London editors valued you at your own price, and 
I determined that I wouldn't be turned away because 
I had a poor opinion of myself. The plan succeeded 
well, for he told me to write two thousand words about 
my trip and bring it up in the morning. " I'll give 
you thirty shillings for it," he said, and my heart 



i 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 87 

bounded at the mere idea. Thirty shillings would be 
great wealth to me. 

The editor was much pleased with my article, and 
when it was printed it caused some discussion in other 
papers. It was a good introduction for me, and after 
that I sold several little articles before I left for the 
Continent. I was received with great cordiality in the 
newspaper offices, for even London editors appreciate 
enterprise, though it be found in a Yankee boy. They 
were always kind and genial, and did much to encour- 
age me to keep on. They never gave me very much 
for my writings, but altogether I made nearly thirty 
dollars during the time I was in London, and I was 
satisfied with my success. 

Not all the papers received me kindly, however. I 
hadn't been in the city long before Mr. Jerome K. 
Jerome came out in his paper and criticised me and 
the papers which had printed my articles. He said 
that I was a boy who was out for adventure, and who 
didn't know anything more about real journalism than 
a young African. He then went on to pick something 
I had written to pieces, and when I read his criticisms 
I felt as though the earth had fallen from under my 
feet. It was the first unkind thing that had been 
written about me, and it was all so cruel and untrue. 
I allowed, it to worry me more than I should have, no 



88 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

doubt, and my friends said it would do me much more 
good than harm, but somehow I wasn't satisfied to let 
it pass, and determined to call on Mr. Jerome. I 
found him in his office, and for some time our inter- 
view was rather peppery, but finally he understood my 
ambitions and my object in coming to England, and 
we became very good friends. He told me to write 
him an article, which I did, and it was printed the 
next week, with an apology for what he had written. 
Thus I won my first journalistic battle, and I was more 
happy than I can tell. The other editors congratu- 
lated me on my success, and my sky was bright once 
more. 



1 



CHAPTER VIII. 

FROM the very first day that the idea of going to 
Europe entered my head, the event to which I had 
looked forward with the greatest delight was an inter- 
view with Mr. Gladstone. I determined to see him 
before I left New York, and told the " World " that 
I would send them the interview when I saw him. I 
had an idea that it would be very easy to get, for 
though I knew that he had retired from public life, I 
thought he would surely see me after I had traveled so 
far and depended so much on the favor. The paper, 
of course, said that I wouldn't be able to see him, but 
then papers had said that I wouldn't reach Europe, 
too, and the mere fact that they doubted my ability 
made me more determined than ever to see Mr. Glad- 
stone. 

When I reached England, one of the very first things 
I did was to send a note out to Hawarden Castle. In 
this note I related my experiences to a certain extent, 
and told him how very anxious I was for an interview. 
I made my argument as strong as possible and ex- 
pected a favorable reply. But in a few days an an- 



90 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

swer came, written by " Mr. Gladstone's secretary," in 
which it was stated that the Grand Old Man was quite 
too ill to see any one, though he would very much like 
to grant my request. 

I was almost disheartened when I read this, but I 
couldn't give up so easily, and sat down and wrote an- 
other letter, stronger even than the former one. I'told 
him of my promise to the New York editor, and tried 
to make him understand how important to me it was, 
but though I waited several days for a reply, none came. 
Then I decided to make a trip to Hawarden village, 
for I just must have that interview. It was a long 
way to Hawarden, clear across England and into 
Wales, though we wouldn't call that a great distance 
in America, only about two hundred and fifty miles. 

A few days later there was a cheap excursion on the 
railway, and I set out for Hawarden. It was a tire- 
some ride, and I was obliged to change cars some five 
or six times before I finally reached the village, for it 
is in an out-of-the-way corner of the kingdom. I found 
it to be a beautiful little spot, however, and well worth 
visiting, even if Mr. Gladstone didn't live there. It 
consists of a single long, straggling street, with low- 
roofed, thatched cottages on either side, and one of 
the quaintest little churches in all England. Mr. Glad- 
stone's second son is rector of the parish, and the en- 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 9 1 

tire Gladstone family is seen at church on Sundays, 
and usually on week-days as well. Even the Grand 
Old Man, feeble as he is, can be seen walking down 
the village street at seven in the morning, going to 
attend the early service. The village is filled with 
strangers every Sunday, who only come for the privi- 
lege of seeing Mr. Gladstone at church. He used to 
always read the lessons, but of late he has become so 
feeble that he can no longer fill this duty, and the at- 
tendance has consequently fallen off considerably. 
Many still come, however, content to watch him wor- 
shiping with the village throng. 

The first thing I did upon my arrival in the village 
was to call upon Mr. Stephen Gladstone, the rector. 
I hoped to persuade him to take me up to the castle 
to see his father, for I knew it would be useless for 
me to go alone and try to gain admittance. I was 
pleasantly received at the rectory, and Mr. Stephen 
was very much interested in my story. He asked me 
many questions, and said that he would really be very 
glad to take me to see his father but was afraid to do so. 
" The fact is," he said, " I am afraid to take you. I 
once took a bishop up there, and when we got there 
my father wouldn't see him, so you see what a posi- 
tion I was in. He doesn't receive any one but old 
friends any more, and I wouldn't care to risk a repeti- 
tion of my experience with the bishop." 



92 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

Of course I couldn't blame him for feeling this way. 
He seemed to be in fear of his father, and there was 
no use arguing the point any further. But he, how- 
ever, didn't seem to give up entirely, and asked me to 
call again the next morning. " I may be able to ar- 
range it some way ; I don't know," he said, as I left. 
So I went away hopeful. 

When I mentioned to the villagers that I had 
come to try and see Mr. Gladstone, they all laughed 
and said that I had come on a wild-goose chase, for he 
wouldn't see any one any more. " W'y," they said, 
" 'e won't see heven the big folks what comes 'ere," 
and they nodded their heads, as though that fact 
ought to discourage me from any further attempt to 
see him. 

When I went to the rectory the next morning I 
wasn't as hopeful as I had been the night before. The 
talk of the villagers, and observations I had made 
around the castle itself, made me doubt whether I 
would see him after all. And the rector couldn't give 
me any hope. He hadn't been able to think of any 
plan for me, and said that he didn't believe he could 
be of any use in the project at all. " I would like to 
ever so much," he said, " but you know my position." 
I did know his position, for I had learned from the 
villagers that the old statesman was autocrat in his 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 93 

own family, and I understood Mr. Stephen's unwilling- 
ness to take any one that he might not wish to see. 

But though the rector couldn't take me, he was 
ready with suggestions. " You might go up to the 
castle yourself," he said, " and ask to see my sister 
Helen, but I doubt if she will help you any. You 
mustn't mind if she snubs you, for you know how she 
is." I had heard how she was also in the village, and 
I didn't think I was particularly anxious to meet her, 
but that seemed the only thing to do, and my only 
chance of seeing Mr. Gladstone. I had asked the 
people in the village how I could get in the castle my- 
self, and they replied that I couldn't get in at all, and 
I needn't try. But I determined to use every possible 
means to see him before acknowledging defeat. 

On the third morning of my stay, therefore, I de- 
cided to go up to the castle and see Miss Helen Glad- 
stone. I made my way through the handsome park 
surrounding it, and in a few minutes stood in front of 
the superb building itself. It is a beautiful structure, 
and I was dumb with admiration. It was my first real 
castle. Around it I saw a high wall, which I certainly 
couldn't climb, so the only way to get in was to go 
through the great gate. This I did, walking along 
unconcernedly, as though I belonged in the village, 
and I passed unmolested. Once within the gate, I 



94 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

went up to the main entrance, and, ringing the bell, 
asked to see Miss Helen Gladstone. " What name 
shall I say ? " the footman growled. " Oh, she doesn't 
know me," I replied, " but tell her that it's on import- 
ant business." 

In a few moments Miss Gladstone made her appear- 
ance, dressed ready to go out on her bicycle. She 
wasn't very pleasant looking, and when she spoke I 
involuntarily jumped. She asked me what I wanted, 
and I told her how much I wanted to see Mr. Glad- 
stone, and who I was. Then she began to scold, and 
gave me what we say at home is " a good talking to." 
It seemed that it was she who answered my letter, and 
she was angry that I should presume to come out to 
Hawarden after she had written me not to do so. I 
did my best to persuade her to listen to me, but she 
said that it was impossible and that was all there was 
to it. I then said that Mr. Gladstone was able to 
walk out and I didn't see why he couldn't see me. 
But she said that it was out of the question. She 
walked away and left me standing there, after saying 
some very decided things. " I'll be back again in the 
morning," I yelled, as she went away. " Well, you 
needn't," she said; "it won't do you any good." 

" Oh, will I ever, ever see him," I said to myself, as 
I walked down the path. " I've said I will, and I will, 
but I wish I hadn't promised." 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 95 

The next morning I again presented myself at the 
castle door, and Miss Helen came when I sent for her. 
She was surprised to see me there again, but I could 
see that she was also impressed by my persistency, 
and I followed up my advantage. Finally she said 
that she would leave it all to Mr. Gladstone and give 
me a chance, anyhow, though she didn't think he 
would receive me. So in she went and was soon 
back. Yes, Mr. Gladstone would see me. My heart 
bounded at the news. 

When I entered the famous library where Mr. Glad- 
stone spends most of his time, he was seated in a deep 
arm chair, leaning back among several cushions and 
wrapped in a shawl. I was impressed at once with 
his feebleness and great age. I had thought of him 
so much as a great public man that I had forgotten 
his age, so I was shocked by his worn appearance. 
He looked much older than any of his pictures 
make him to look. As he raised his handsome head 
on my entrance, I was immediately impressed with his 
great personality. His- greatness was evident in every 
movement he made, and one couldn't be in the room 
with him and not know that he was a great, a wonder- 
ful man. I was impressed with him from the first. 

He allowed me to take his hand, and told me to 
pull up a chair and sit down. Then he opened the 



96 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

conversation. " Sit up close," he said, " you know I 
cannot hear very well. Tell me now about your trip 
and about Chicago. I am very much interested in 
your adventures." And he smiled in a manner that 
made me happy to see. I told him about my journey, 
and I answered all his questions, which were many. 
"You are very enterprising and ambitious," he said ; 
" take care that your ambition doesn't run away with 
you." Then he asked me if I had been through 
school, and I had to tell him that I hadn't quite fin- 
ished high school, but expected to go more. "You 
ought to go to college if you can," he said, " it will 
do you a world of good," and I promised him that I 
would try and follow his advice. 

Then he talked about various things, but very little 
about himself. He seemed to take a great interest in 
young men, and asked me question after question 
about my future. Indeed, I was rather the one that 
was interviewed and he the interviewer. He said 
that he was feeling very well, as a rule, and that he 
liked the Hawarden climate, though he couldn't 
stand it when the weather was breaking up. " You 
don't work much now, do you, Mr. Gladstone?" I 
asked him, and he replied that he spent his time in 
reading. We hadn't talked half enough to suit me 
when Miss Helen came for me to go. " You've 




BE A GOOD BOY, AND YOU'LL BE A TRUE MAN, HE SAID. 
— /'« <e 97. 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 97 

stayed too long already," she said. Then I took the 
great man's hand once more and we said good-bye. 
" Be a good boy," he said, at last, " and you'll be a 
true man." I looked at him long and hard, feeling 
that it would be the last time I would ever see him. 

Miss Helen took me through the castle, which is 
beautifully furnished, and full of souvenirs of the 
master's great career. I was presented also to Mrs. 
Gladstone, who was also kind to me, and then I went 
away satisfied. 

When I returned to London, the reporters couldn't 
imagine how I had secured my interview. They said 
they had tried and tried, and never had succeeded. 
" That may be true," I said, " but you didn't try 
in the Yankee way," 



CHAPTER IX. 

THERE are many ways for different people to gain 
the favor of a private audience with the Queen of 
England. There are " drawing-rooms " several times 
during the London season for the nobility and the 
very wealthy ; there are sometimes private audiences 
given to people connected with Her Majesty's govern- 
ment, and, on extraordinary occasions, the Queen re- 
ceives some prince or notable from a foreign land. As 
soon as the Jubilee had come and gone, a great desire 
came to me to see the Queen and talk with her, but 
the prospect of my doing so was not encouraging. I 
was not a duke of the realm, nor rich, nor fashionable, 
so it wasn't likely that I would be able to gain admit- 
tance to one of the drawing-rooms. I was not con- 
nected in any way with the Queen's government, not 
likely soon to be, and lastly, though I hailed from a 
foreign land, I could not call myself either a prince or 
a potentate. " How then," I thought to myself many 
times, " am I ever to see the Queen ? " 

My desire to see her finally became almost a mania. 
The slight glimpse I had obtained of her at the Jubi- 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 99 

lee had only made me want to see more of her, and I 
tried every way to do so. I used to haunt the neigh- 
borhood of Buckingham Palace, hoping that she might 
drive out, but I was never fortunate enough to be 
present at the right time. Then I used to go to cere- 
monies where the papers said she was to be present, 
but somehow fate seemed against me, and she had al- 
ways arrived when I got there. So I had about given 
up any idea of seeing her when I went to Hawarden 
Castle to interview Mr. Gladstone. Then, when I was in 
the midst of my conversation with him, it occurred to 
me that he might be able to obtain an audience for 
me, or at least give me a letter to some one at Wind- 
sor, where the Queen was then staying. So at my 
first opportunity I mentioned my consuming desire to 
see the Queen and talk with her, and I suppose that I 
must have made my appeal very strong, for, before I 
left, the Grand Old Man had given me a letter to the 
Lord Chamberlain. He said he didn't know whether 
it would be possible for me to see her, but if it was, 
the Lord Chamberlain would arrange it for me. I 
thanked Mr. Gladstone with all my heart and could 
hardly get back to London fast enough. At last my 
cherished hope was about to be accomplished, for if 
any one could get me into the castle Mr. Gladstone 
was the man. 



ioo A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

I lost no time in getting back to London, and when 
I arrived I hurried to Windsor Castle. I seemed to 
fear that the Queen might escape me, after all, and I 
wanted to be sure that she was still there. I asked 
for the Lord Chamberlain when I reached the castle 
gates, and the guard said gruffly that he wasn't there. 
" O, but I have a letter for him," I cried, " a letter 
from Mr. Gladstone." Then the guards allowed me 
to enter, and I was taken into the presence of the 
Chamberlain. The grand old castle, standing grim and 
silent, as in the days of the Edwards, seemed to belong 
to another world. I was much impressed with the 
great stone pillars, the massive arches and ancient halls, 
and I was half frightened when I saw the Chamberlain. 
It was all very much like an old fairy tale in which I 
was the Prince. The Chamberlain, dressed in a robe of 
some kind, with badges and insignia all over the front, 
was the terrible old King, and I had come to bargain 
for his daughter, who was, of course, the Queen. It 
would have been better had I made her the grand- 
mother instead. But, anyhow, it was a great experi- 
ence for a plain Yankee boy. 

The Chamberlain received me with great dignity of 
manner, scarcely allowing himself to utter a word. 
He read the letter carefully once and then again. 
Then only did he speak. " Come again in three days 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 101 

from now," were his words, and I bowed myself out 
of the presence of the fairy king. I was more joyful 
than ever after that. I reasoned that if he didn't ex- 
pect the Queen to see me he would have told me so 
at once and not asked me to come again. So the 
event seemed more likely to happen than ever. 

The intervening days were not wholly happy. I 
was joyful at the glorious prospect before me, but 
there were many things to make it a mixed joy. How 
was I, for instance, who knew nothing about Queens 
save what I had read in picture books, to carry myself 
when in the presence of Queen Victoria? Should I 
stoop and kiss the hem of her garment, as in the fairy 
tales, or would I just calmly sit down as though I were 
talking to Mrs. Sullivan, our next-door neighbor at 
home? I had read that it was the custom to kiss her 
hand, but would I dare do such a thing? She might 
take it for rudeness if it were not exactly the thing to 
do, and then what would they do to me? Would I 
be thrown into a dungeon or a prison beneath the 
castle ? Such uncertainties as these haunted me day 
and night. It was undoubtedly silly to think such 
things, but I was only sixteen, and imagine yourselves, 
dear readers, in my position at that time. 

The tension of my mind finally became so great that 
I betook myself to the Guildhall library and read for 



102 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

hours in a book called " Etiquette at Court." I read 
when I should bow, when I should smile, and when I 
should stand. I read about where I should stand, and 
about whether it was right for me to speak much or 
not. I tried my best to absorb it all, but it seemed 
impossible to remember it without practice, and, when 
the dread yet longed-for day drew near, I simply gave 
up in despair, and determined not to read another 
thing about it but simply trust to luck. 

I had no dress suit, of course, but, as I was told to 
come in the afternoon, I was doubtful about the pro- 
priety of wearing one, even if I had it. So I decided 
to just go in my plain clothing, and be as much Ameri- 
can as possible. I had neither the money nor the 
knowledge to go in proper costume, so it seemed best 
to go as naturally as possible and not make any 
attempt to be proper. 

Finally the eventful day came round. It was a 
Saturday and a charming day in every way. I was 
up early, in my little attic room, brushing my coat, 
blacking my shoes, and scrubbing my face. I scrubbed 
and scrubbed, and brushed and brushed, and then I'd 
look again, to be sure that I was as neat as I could be 
in a five-dollar department-store suit. After an hour 
of such preparation, I became a little doubtful of my 
ability to bow correctly, and the next half-hour was 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 103 

spent in trying to bow and scrape to an imaginary 
sovereign on my little bed. Then, having nothing 
else to do just then, I sat down and thought over all 
that I intended to do. I planned everything, and 
then at eleven o'clock I started for Windsor. 

The Chamberlain had told me to come at two, but I 
thought it was well to be on time, so I arrived in the 
castle grounds at twelve o'clock. Buying some bread 
and cheese for my luncheon, I walked about the 
grounds eating it and imagining the Queen at luncheon 
within the castle. I walked about until two, and then, 
promptly as the clock in the church struck the hour, 
I entered the Chamberlain's office. 

"I see you are on time," he said, in a deep voice; 
" Her Majesty has been pleased to appoint an audience 
for you at two o'clock. I trust you appreciate, my 
young fellow, the exceedingly high honor thus con- 
ferred upon you." 

"O, sir," I said, " indeed I do. This is the happi- 
est, most triumphant day of all my life." 

"And well it may be. I do not think her Majesty 
has ever been so gracious before in such a way. Do 
not forget to express your thanks to her, for she 
appreciates thankfulness. 

" Doubtless you will not conduct yourself wholly 
according to the etiquette of the court, but try and be 



104 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

quiet and modest. Do not sit down, unless you are 
asked, which it isn't likely you will be, and do not 
speak save when spoken to. Bow low to the Queen 
upon her recognition, but do not kiss her hand. Bow 
also to the Princess Henry of Battenburg, who will be 
in the room, and to any other ladies who may be pre- 
sent." 

All this and much else did the Chamberlain say to 
me, and then, promptly at half-past two, he left me, 
and, returning in a few moments, said : " Follow me ; 
Her Majesty will receive you now." 

I cannot well remember the occurrences of the next 
few minutes. Those who have been through such 
experiences can alone appreciate my feelings. I 
seemed to be in a maze, and I was a mere mechanism, 
with hardly the power to think. I followed the Cham- 
berlain through several apartments so handsome as to 
give me the impression of a hall in fairyland, and then 
we stopped in a smaller room, where I was told to 
wait a moment. I saw, as in a dream, the magnifi- 
cent tapestries, the paintings, and the works of art 
abounding on every side. An elegant rug covered the 
floor, and the ceiling was high and tapestried also. 
During the few moments I was left alone in this ante- 
room, I seemed to regain, in some remarkable way, 
my composure. I felt cool and collected, and when 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 105 

the Chamberlain beckoned me to advance, I might 
have been on Coney Island, as far as any embarrass- 
ment was concerned. 

I passed through the single door that separated 
me from a monarch, and took in the whole apartment 
at a glance, deciding at once that it was the private 
sitting-room of the Queen. It was not large, and not 
very elegant, though the furnishings were the richest 
and most complete I had ever seen. There were 
here, as in other rooms, many paintings of the finest 
quality, and among them I noticed a large, life-sized 
portrait of the dead Prince Consort. Another, of the 
Prince of Wales, hung beside it, and around the 
room were portraits of most all the other members of 
the Royal Family. 

But I didn't notice the furnishings at first. As I 
entered the room, my eyes rested immediately upon a 
short, stout, gray, plain old lady, with a sweet, grand- 
motherly expression, and I knew at once that she was 
the Queen of Great Britain and Ireland, and Empress 
of India, mightiest of earthly sovereigns. I hesitated 
at the door, uncertain about how far forward I should 
step, but the ever-present Chamberlain relieved my 
perplexity by beckoning me forward. Her Majesty 
didn't look up from her book, for she was reading, 
until I was about fifteen feet away. Then she slowly 



106 A YANKEE BOYS SUCCESS. 

raised her head and smiled upon me. I never saw a 
more queenly action than this. She accomplished it 
with such superb grace and dignity that any one would 
have known that she was a queen. Laying her book 
on the table beside her she spoke, and I awaited her 
words in breathless silence. " Come nearer, my 
boy," she said, " I can't talk to you so far away." 

I obeyed her with alacrity, and, of course, I came 
near stumbling as I went. " This, my boy, is the 
Princess Henry of Battenburg, and this " (motioning to 
a lady on her left, seated in a chair) " is the Princess 
Victoria of Wales. You should have saluted them on 
your entrance." 

I blushed scarlet at the implied rebuke, wondering, 
meanwhile, why the Queen chose to make such a re- 
mark. I do not think she meant it unkindly, yet it 
undoubtedly was a rebuke. " I was looking at none 
but you, your Majesty," I said; and the Princess 
Victoria laughed outright. " A compliment for you, 
grandmamma," she said, and the Queen smiled sweetly. 
Then she spoke again. " I hear that you have come 
all the way from America, and working your way, too. 
Were you not afraid ? " 

"No, your Majesty; I was not at all afraid. You 
see," I said, " I am ambitious, and ambition conquers 
much." 



. -^ 




«*>■%- 



I 



1TO%, 







COME NEARER, MY BOY," SHE SAID, "i CAN'T TALK TO YOU SO FAR 

away."— Page 106. 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 107 

" That is true and well spoken," said the Queen. 
" And what do you think of our country? Tell me 
truly, for I want no idle flattery." 

" O, it is beautiful, your Majesty ; I would love to 
live here." 

" But you would rather live in America, wouldn't 
you ? " said Princess Henry, slyly, winking indecorously 
at her niece. 

" Most certainly/' I replied, " for I was born there 
and it's my home." 

" Bravo/* said the Princess, laughing. 

"And what are your ambitions and your future 
plans ? " asked the Queen. " You have made a brave 
start. Do you intend to continue your career?" 

" By all means," I said, " and if every one is as kind 
and gracious as your Majesty, I am sure I shall suc- 
ceed." 

" Thank you. I am much interested in boys and 
young men. I hope to hear of you often in the 
future. Remember that I am your well-wisher and 
friend. If you do write a book, be sure and send me 
a copy, for I shall read it with great pleasure." 

" Yes, send us one of your books by all means," 
said the Princess Henry of Battenburg. Then, with- 
out any futher conversation, the Queen held out her 
hand, and I barely touched it in farewell. " Good- 



108 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

bye," she said, and again took up the book she had 
laid down when I entered. She smiled sweetly and 
was seemingly glad that she had made me happy. I 
also said farewell to the princesses, and managed to 
bow myself out of the apartment without falling down. 

Once out, I lost no time in seating myself on a 
chair in the ante-room. The strain had been terrible, 
and I felt weak and worn out. I sat there for some 
minutes before leaving the castle, gradually regaining 
my strength and natural composure. 

I was impressed with the appearance of the Queen. 
She looks but little like her picture, being a more at- 
tractive woman in every way than they represent. 
Her face wears an expression of peace and kindliness 
that would do credit to any American grandmother, 
and her hair is almost entirely white. There are yet 
a few hairs of dark gray, but they are fast disappear- 
ing. Her dress was, of course, black. London people 
say she wears the same one always, but that is absurd. 
This one was of black silk, plainly made, and trimmed 
with lace. There was just a touch of white at her 
throat and in the queer cap she wears, and the rest of 
her attire was somber in the extreme. Her face didn't 
seem to be very much wrinkled for a woman of seventy- 
eight. 

I had a hard time getting Londoners to believe that 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 109 

I saw the Queen. I didn't dare send an account of 
it to any paper there for fear they wouldn't print it, 
and it was hard to make even my friends believe that 
I had at last succeeded in talking with her. They 
couldn't understand that pluck and perseverance 
sometimes accomplish more than wealth and social 
position, or that boys can sometimes do what many 
men have failed to accomplish. 

Having seen the Queen, however, and having found 
her to be a good, true woman, like our American 
grandmothers, I was content. I have tried to believe 
that the Queen was glad to see me, and that I wasn't 
a bore. I do not know, however ; perhaps she is sit- 
ting in Windsor Castle at this moment and telling 
some of her friends about " that horrid American boy 
I was foolish enough to see." But I hope she is say- 
ing, instead, " American boys are so interesting ; I'm 
glad I saw that one with the bright red hair." 



CHAPTER X. 

At last the end of my stay in London and in Eng- 
land came nearer and nearer, and I hurried about, try- 
ing to see everything that had escaped me so far 
during my sojourn. Though I spent most of my 
time in the great metropolis, I did not leave at last 
without seeing something of provincial England as 
well. I soon learned that London is not all England 
by any means and that there is much to be seen in 
the little villages. 

I can never forget the happy days spent in ram- 
bling among the ancient ruins of old castles and 
abbeys, playing that I was some old feudal lord, with 
estates extending in every direction, and serfs living in 
the cottages not far away. It was great fun for me, and 
in addition to appreciating the romantic part of the 
situation, I was also interested in the ruins themselves, 
and loved to dig up relics and old remains of bygone 
days. I also had great pleasure in visiting the cot- 
tagers in the inland villages and talking with them. 
I used to tell them about the great America, and they 
would open their mouths in astonishment, for though 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. in 

they have been told some wonderful things about us, 
there were some tales that they had not heard. They 
loved, for instance, to hear about the elevated rail- 
roads and the tall office buildings of our great cities, and 
also about the World's Fair at Chicago, of which they 
had very different ideas. Some thought that Chicago 
was in Canada and the fair was held on the sea-shore, 
while others had an idea that Chicago was in the 
United States, but was a state instead of a city. I 
did my best to put their ideas right, but it wasn't 
much use. 

I had one of the best chances to study English 
country life when I went to the Henley Regatta. I 
determined to go as soon as I heard of it, and I was 
never sorry that I did so. The River Thames was a 
wonderful sight that day, a sight that cannot be seen 
anywhere else on earth. 

When I arrived in the quaint little village of Henley 
I found the town full of excitement. Everywhere 
were flags and bunting, and there was noise and 
bustle in the streets. It was the nearest approach to 
our Fourth of July that I saw in England. Of course 
I looked for the river at once, and when I found it I 
saw a marvelous sight. The stream was one mass of 
gay color. There were colored boats, and bright 
costumes in the boats, and brilliant parasols over all. 



112 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

And since the water was entirely covered with the 
tiny boats, the effect may be imagined. In the boats 
and along the banks there were bands of music, street 
pianos, strolling players, and almost every other 
arrangement for noise-making, and the air was filled 
with sounds. The boats moved lazily along, keeping 
time with the music. 

Along either bank of the river were the famous 
house-boats, which I had never seen before, since they 
don't exist on this side of the water. They literally 
bordered the stream on both sides and made a pretty 
picture. They were long, awkward barges, gayly 
painted and much decorated, and always having two 
stories or decks. They were quite large enough to 
make comfortable residences for small families, but on 
this occasion there must have been more than a 
hundred people on some of them. They were made 
gay with real flowers and vines, to say nothing of flags 
and bunting, and with these great house-boats along 
the river, and the river itself covered with boats, there 
wasn't any room left for races, and I wondered how 
they'd manage. I soon had the problem solved 
before my eyes, for a steam launch came along, whis- 
tling at every foot, and the small boats were obliged 
to pull in along the bank, and some went off down 
stream. Then there was quite a stretch of open 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 113 

water for the races, which soon came off. I can't say 
I was very much interested in them, because they 
were so very slow. The crowd, however, went fairly 
wild, and there was as much cheering as there is at 
base-ball at home. But between the races, and they 
are held far apart, the crowd seemed to forget what 
they were there for, promenading up and down, 
gossiping, and attending informal receptions in the 
house-boats. It was evident to me that people don't 
go to Henley simply for the races. 

At Henley I also saw something of the River 
Thames, and I was glad to have this view of it as it 
really is. In London it is affected by the flow of the 
tide, which makes it a much larger stream than it 
would otherwise be. In a sense I was disappointed 
at what I saw of its upper reaches at Henley. It was 
so pitifully small, and wound in and out among the 
grass like some American creek. One would naturally 
expect to find a river more than two feet deep, yet 
that is what I didn't do at Henley, and a few miles 
farther up they said it was only one foot deep. At 
this I quite collapsed. " Well, I don't see that you've 
got anything to be proud of in the way of rivers," I 
said to the Englishman I was with ; " you ought to 
come over and see our American rivers. Why, we 
wouldn't call this a creek." But he was by no means 



ii4 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

disturbed at this. He said that it might not be large 
but it was beautiful. " Yes, it's a beautiful brook," 
I said to him, " but it's simply nowhere as a river." 
But it was no use discussing the subject. That Eng- 
lishman was firmly convinced that the Thames is 
sacred, and all the Americans couldn't make him 
change his view. If there's one thing more than an- 
other that an Englishman prides himself upon it's his 
strength of mind. He wouldn't let his mind be 
changed for all the money in the Bank of England, as 
they say over there. 

I also had a glimpse of Wales, where I found people 
who couldn't speak the English language, and saw 
something of Scotland as well. Indeed, I was continu- 
ally taking little trips on foot in every direction, which 
didn't cost me much, but which were very delightful 
and profitable. There wasn't much in the neighbor- 
hood of London that I hadn't seen when I went away, 
and I had been in almost every part of provincial 
England as well. I had seen the fine old cathedrals 
and I had seen the Roman ruins ; in short, there wasn't 
much that was interesting to a boy that I didn't see. 

At the inn in Fetter Lane things went on as usual 
day after day. The old lady was cross sometimes, but 
generally she was very good to me, and I never 
could be thankful enough that I had succeeded 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 115 

in getting the place. My work seemed to grow 
more and more easy, and I finally had most of the 
day to myself. When I wished to take trips to places 
at some distance, I was always allowed to do so, 
and when I came back the people at the inn were 
always anxious to know what I had seen. They seemed 
to think it impossible that I should go anywhere with- 
out having an adventure of some kind, and I was 
usually able to gratify their curiosity. Each evening 
the tap-room used to be filled with men and women 
from the neighborhood round about, who had come in 
to spend the evening in gossiping. It was quite the 
custom in that old part of London, for the poor folk 
had no other way to occupy themselves. I soon 
became the hero of these evening assemblies, and was 
always busy telling stories of America or of what I 
expected to do when I left England for the countries 
across the Channel. They appreciated my bravery 
in coming alone to England very much, and it seemed 
to me that every woman in the neighborhood was 
bent on being a mother to me. It was all very nice 
and kept me from becoming homesick very often. 

There were times, however, when I couldn't keep 
my thoughts from the ones at home, and then I would 
just go up to my attic and think of them all night long. 
It did me good, somehow, and I was always more 



u6 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

ambitious than ever the next morning. I had letters 
from home every week or two, and I sent great long 
epistles every Friday, in which I described the won- 
derful events I was passing through. Mother's letters 
were usually very solicitous for my health, and I was 
glad to write her, week after week, that I never felt 
better in my life. It was indeed wonderful how well 
I seemed to be. At home I had never been strong, 
and I had expected to be ill from the change of 
climate in England, but it seemed to have the contrary 
effect on me. Had I known what was in store for me 
when I reached the countries of Continental Europe 
I wouldn't have been so joyful over the question of 
my health. 

I remained in London the best part of five weeks, 
and then I saw that it was time for me to leave for the 
Continent. I had seen enough of everything, had 
managed to add twenty-five dollars to the twenty 
with which I had arrived, and there was nothing to 
keep me longer. I felt actually rich with my forty- 
five dollars, and was confident that I would be able 
to travel all over the Continent with it. I of course 
expected to be abte to earn a little, and I would live 
cheap, oh, so cheap. I planned to walk from one vil- 
lage to another and so see the peasant life of the 
various countries, and I expected to live on bread and 
cheese, if necessary. 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 117 

My ideas of the Continental countries were very 
dim. I knew almost nothing of the people, and my 
knowledge of geography was only what I had learned 
in the lower grades at school. As to languages, I 
knew absolutely nothing of them, and knew I would 
have to depend on my ability to make signs. And in 
spite of all this ignorance, I w r as determined not to 
read any red guide-books. I wanted to get my own 
impressions of things, regardless of what others might 
say about them. I didn't want to know what other 
people thought of things but what I thought. 

I looked forward to the coming tour with impa- 
tience, in spite of the fact that I didn't know what I 
was going into. The only thing that made me anxious 
to remain was the dear old inn, and I did hate to leave it. 
When again would I have kind friends and a good 
bed, or when would I have all I wanted to eat? They 
were questions worth considering. 

I hadn't many preparations to make for my depart- 
ure. I of course went around and said good-bye to 
the editors who had been kind to me, and also to 
the few other friends I had made during my stay. I 
took a last look at Westminster Abbey and some of 
the other places I loved most, and then I felt ready 
to leave on any boat. 

But of course I couldn't leave on any boat, for 



n8 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

some were expensive and some were cheap. Finally, 
however, I took passage on a slow freighter, bound 
for Ostend, Belgium, and at midnight on Saturday, 
about five weeks from the day I first saw London, 
I sailed away to an unknown land, unknown to me at 
least. 



CHAPTER XI. 

ALTHOUGH the little steamer upon which I was 
to go to Ostend was a cargo boat, it also carried a 
great many passengers, who were mostly people who 
couldn't afford to take a regular passenger steamer. 
Some of them paid four shillings, and some paid six, 
and the ones who paid the higher sum were the only 
ones who were given a bed that night. 

The boat, of course, was never meant to carry 
passengers, and there couldn't have been more than a 
dozen berths in all, so that when these were full, the 
other passengers were obliged to sleep most any- 
where. I was disgusted when I arrived in the tiny 
saloon and found every berth taken by the six-shill- 
ing passengers, for I was tired and wanted to sleep. 
I had been standing on the dock alone for about an 
hour before the vessel sailed, and had expected to 
have a good bed for the night. When I mentioned 
my feelings to the steward, he said that I could sleep 
on the dining-room table if I wanted to, and if I didn't 
want to, why, I could stand up. 

So I lay down on top of the table, which was about 



120 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

the hardest piece of wood I ever saw. I was in im- 
minent danger of rolling off on the floor at any 
moment, and felt quite sure that as soon as the 
boat struck the open sea I would do so on account 
of the waves being high. I thought at first that it 
would be impossible to get to sleep, but a tired boy- 
can sleep most anywhere, and I finally closed my eyes. 

All night long I dreamed of sea-serpents and kin- 
dred terrors, and after a horrible time I opened my 
eyes. Looking at my watch, I saw that it was six 
o'clock, and going up on deck, I was astonished to 
find that I couldn't see two feet ahead of me. I 
understood at once, though, that we were in the midst 
of a dense fog, a fog of the real London kind. 

I went up to one of the officers and asked him if we 
weren't almost to Ostend, for we were supposed to 
arrive early in the morning. Imagine my disgust, 
therefore, when he coolly remarked that we were not 
yet out of the Thames, nor likely soon to be, un- 
less the fog lifted itself. I turned away and sought 
my dining-room table again. There was nothing to 
see on deck, and the fog was decidedly unpleasant 
for the lungs. 

As I lay there, trying to get some more rest, I could 
hear fog-horns on every side of us, and whistles were 
constantly blowing. Evidently we were surrounded by 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 121 

other vessels, all bound for the Channel, and unable to 
get there on account of the fog. It was a rather peril- 
ous situation, for we might have collided with another 
boat at any moment and gone down without any at- 
tempt at rescue. I realized then what a terrible 
thing these fogs are that shut one out from the 
world so entirely. 

It was noon before we could see daylight, and then, 
as the curtain of mist was gradually lifted from the 
water, we saw almost hundreds of boats around us. I 
never had such a look at the vast commerce of London 
before, and wondered how many boats there were in 
the Thames, anyhow. In a few minutes the fog had 
entirely disappeared, and the sun was shining brightly. 
The boat put on all steam, and we forged ahead. 
In an hour or two we were in the Channel, and likely 
to reach Ostend before nightfall. 

I fortunately got through that long, disagreeable day 
without becoming sea-sick, though several times I was 
very near being so. I looked for the highest spot in 
the middle of the vessel, and there I sat, afraid to move 
across the deck. I had a good time watching the 
other people, many of whom succumbed, and appre- 
ciated the feelings of the pantryman on the voyage 
across the Atlantic. I took a real pleasure in seeing 
some one else suffer as I had done. 



122 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

We didn't get a sight of land until fully ten o'clock 
at night, when the myriad lights of the seaside casinos 
became visible. There was a long, twinkling row of 
them, getting gradually clearer and more distinct, 
until at half past eleven we entered the slip, and I was 
in Belgium at last. I was too thankful for utterance 
to get off that ship, and I vowed to never again ride 
on any but fast steamers in the English Channel. 

When I left the boat and first stepped on Belgian 
soil, I felt that in truth I was stepping for the first 
time on the soil of Europe. For England is more like 
America than a part of the older continent. It was an 
important moment for me, and for a time I was over- 
whelmed with that importance. Then I started off 
at a brisk walk. In London I had purchased a small 
knapsack and had discarded my dear old band-box, so 
that I had no unwieldy luggage to carry. 

I walked on and on. I hadn't the least idea where 
I was going to sleep. I couldn't afford to go to a 
hotel, and it was a foregone conclusion that I wouldn't 
be able to make any of the peasants understand what 
I wanted. At this hour they were all in bed, anyhow, 
and it would be astonishing to find any of them awake. 
Still, I determined to walk until I found a house with 
a light in it, and then do my best to make them 
understand what I wanted. So I walked along, and 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 123 

the few people I met turned around and stared at me 
until I was out of sight, and some of them even 
shouted in merriment, either at my red hair or my 
knapsack, or at both, perhaps. All this made me 
very uncomfortable, and I was angry enough to fight 
all Belgium. 

I must confess I felt a little homesick as I walked 
through the narrow, dark, deserted streets of the old 
city that night and didn't see any one who looked at 
all friendly to me. It was terrible not to have any 
place to sleep, and I thought a good deal of the 
Illinois home and mother. Yet I didn't wish to be 
there, for I hadn't seen anything in Europe yet, and 
I couldn't think of returning without having accom- 
plished what I set out to do. 

But I was certainly very tired, and when about 
midnight I came to an old woman seated in a door- 
way, I determined to ask her to take me in. She 
didn't look very pleasant, and to my mind she re- 
sembled an old witch more than anything else, yet I 
decided to make the attempt, for I was too much 
fatigued to stop at trifles. I therefore went up to her 
and began to rub my eyes very vigorously, hoping to 
make her know that I was sleepy. 

She didn't seem to comprehend me, though, and 
actually looked frightened. I then laid my head 



124 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

on my arm, and at this she arose from her chair and 
seemed ready to run away at the first opportunity. 
Then, becoming desperate, I determined to attempt 
some French. " La Americaine," I said, for that 
was the only French I knew that fitted the occasion 
at all. The old woman looked interested then. 
" Oui ? " she asked, and when I hastened to say the 
same, she seemed satisfied, and went grumbling into 
the house. She jabbered incessantly and finally 
agreed to give me a bed, for which I was to pay half 
a franc. 

She lit a candle and took me up two flights of steep 
and narrow stairs to the queerest little room I had 
ever seen. Its ceiling was very low and kalsomined 
a brilliant blue. The window was low also, and the 
panes were very tiny, while the floor was rough and 
uneven, but scrubbed as clean as it could be. " Here 
is a bit of the old country, sure enough," I said to my- 
self. But it was the furniture that took my eye. The 
bed was so high from the floor that I wondered how I 
was supposed to get in it. When I stood up I could 
look over and see the clothes inside, but when I was un- 
dressed and wanted to get in myself, I just had to take 
a run and a jump and land there head foremost. But 
it was a soft bed, and almost as good as the American 
ones, so I went to sleep knowing that they had at 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 125 

least one good thing in Belgium. As I closed my 
eyes, the chimes in a neighboring church-tower began 
to peal the hour, and it seemed to me that I had 
never heard anything so sweetly charming. " How 
delightful," I said ; " it sounds just like real old 
Europe." The old woman came round with her 
candle to see if everything was all right, and the last 
thing I heard was the noise of her heavy shoes on the 
old staircase. 

When I awoke the next morning, awoke to my first 
day in a strange land, I found awaiting me in the old 
woman's kitchen a great steaming cup of black coffee, 
and some warm rolls to eat with it. It looked won- 
derfully good, and when I came to eat it I found it 
tasted every bit as good as it looked, only I should 
have liked some milk in it. But as I didn't know the 
word for milk in French I couldn't ask for it, and so I 
went without. I soon became accustomed to doing 
without things I couldn't ask for, because I had to do 
it so often. I became very self-denying during the 
time I was in Belgium, and would have been equally 
so in Germany had I not been more fortunate in find- 
ing people who spoke English. 

As soon as I had finished my slender meal, which 
was all I had anywhere in Europe at breakfast, I made 
my way to the famous beach at Ostend. It is one of 



126 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

the most frequented in all Europe, and one of the 
finest to be found. It is lined for its whole length 
with great hotels and casinos, which make a fine 
appearance. The resort is very fashionable during a 
certain part of the year, and the King himself spends 
a good part of his time there. 

After I had seen the beach, I took a walk through 
the city itself, and found the contrast rather bewilder- 
ing. For while the water-front is wholly modern in 
appearance, the older streets of the city retain all their 
old characteristics, and present much the same appear- 
ance as in the sixteenth century. I found great 
delight in hunting old buildings with gable windows 
and pointed roofs, and wondering if some old Crusader 
had lived therein. 

No one can imagine how I felt to be where no Eng- 
lish was spoken. I stopped time and again to look 
about me, and eyed the poor Belgians as though they 
were pickpockets. I had never before heard much 
French, and actually held my mouth open in Ostend. 
The natives didn't speak good French, either, but 
mixed it with their old Flemish tongue in a very 
bewildering way. I had purchased a small book of 
languages in London, but when I looked up words, and 
pronounced them in ways that I knew were perfectly 
correct, the people in Ostend only looked at me won- 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 127 

deringly and refused to understand. So I decided 
not to depend much upon my " French at a Glance." 
It didn't take me long to see everything I cared for 
in Ostend, and I decided to lose no time in striking 
out for the interior of the country. I planned to go 
afoot all the way to Brussels, passing through the old- 
est district in Belgium, where the people are not much 
different to-day from what they were in the days of 
the old Crusaders. I didn't know much about the 
district. If I had known more, I would have taken a 
train to Bruges. 



CHAPTER XII. 

I PRESENTED a strange picture as I trudged along 
on the wide road from Ostend to Bruges, with my 
knapsack over my shoulder, my overcoat in a bundle 
under my arm and a heavy staff in my hand. My 
little bicycle cap was set rather jauntily on my head, 
and I had taken off my shoes, for the temptation to 
go bare-footed was more than I could resist. It was 
so long since I had walked with my bare feet, and the 
road was so smooth and easy to walk upon, that I 
decided to throw conventionalities aside for once. 

The road was a much traveled one, being the main 
road of all Belgium, and at no time during my pil- 
grimage was I out of sight of some person ahead of 
me. It was an interesting tramp, and at one time an 
exciting one. I was delighted with the queer old 
farmhouses, the quaint costumes of the people, and 
with the pretty gardens along the road. The villages, 
too, which were very numerous, were as a rule de- 
cidedly picturesque, with their great square church- 
towers and little gabled roofs. 

The country was level and well cultivated, the fields 
being full of growing vegetables, with a little barley 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 129 

and buckwheat here and there. I was astonished at 
first to see the women hard at work behind the plows, 
but soon became used to the unusual spectacle, and 
thought nothing of it after awhile. The men were 
busy, too, and every one I met was doing something. 
Even the women going to the cities with produce were 
knitting diligently as they trudged along the dusty 
road, and it was evident that they made the best use 
possible of every minute. It was all so new and 
strange to me that I felt I was indeed in a strange 
land and almost as isolated as though I were in Cen- 
tral Africa instead of Central Europe. 

I hadn't walked far toward Bruges until my feet be- 
gan to hurt me, notwithstanding that I had walked 
many miles in England. The road here was very 
hard, and paved in part with small stones, which were 
anything but comfortable to walk upon. But I re- 
sisted a desire to rest a bit, and continued on my way, 
for I wanted to reach Bruges before night. My feet 
soon became more hardened, and I had no more diffi- 
culty with them after this first day. 

I was beginning to think that my first day as a pe- 
destrian was to pass without any adventure of any 
kind, when I passed through a tiny village on the very 
outskirts of Bruges. I had stopped at a house to beg 
for some water, and was about to enter the gate, when 



130 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

I was attacked by two great dogs. I was frightened, 
and had scarcely presence of mind enough to defend 
myself, but fortunately remembering my staff in time, 
I kept them off with hard blows from it until a woman 
came out and called them away. They were immense 
dogs, of the kind so common in Flanders, and used to 
haul wagons about the farms. They would certainly 
have bitten me had I been without a stick, and always 
after this I was careful to have a staff of some kind in 
my hand. The dogs all through the country were 
quite the most ferocious creatures I have ever seen, 
mainly because they are so well-kept, and trained by 
the country folk to keep strangers away. 

I entered Bruges just before nightfall and set about 
finding a place to sleep. After some difficulty in mak- 
ing people understand, I found a small inn where I 
was given a bed at a reasonable sum, and I depended 
upon the " Cremeries " for my meals. I slept more 
soundly that night than I think I ever did before, for it 
is not easy work to walk all day long in a dusty road. 
I was pleased, though, with my trial of pedestrianism, 
and determined to continue it as often as I could. 
One of the best things about it was that I had saved 
about three francs in carfare, and three francs would 
allow me to live three days longer in Europe. 

I was up early the next morning, bound for the 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 131 

" Belfry Tower of Bruges," which I found in the old 
market-place, looking just as Longfellow described it 
many years ago. It was delightfully old and roman- 
tic in appearance, and has certainly seen many great 
events in the market-place below. And when I had 
seen the belfry, I visited the Cathedral, and then the 
canal, and so on until I had seen most of the ancient 
places of interest in the city. I was delighted with 
everything I saw and couldn't look long enough at 
the remains of the city's ancient splendor. I remem- 
bered how I had read of its being the chief city in all 
that part of Europe, how many of the Crusaders had 
left from there, and how its commerce was the largest 
in all the countries round about. 

And then I looked at its quiet, deserted streets to- 
day, and could hardly believe that the two cities are 
the same. The streets contained more beggars than 
actual pedestrians, and I could well believe that half 
the population are paupers. It is said that Bruges has 
more people dependent upon it for support than any 
other city in Europe, and all because the leading 
citizens refuse to conduct their business upon modern 
principles. It is very pathetic, and it ought to be a 
lesson to certain other cities in Germany and Austria 
which are following in the footsteps of poor, deserted 
Bruges. The spectacle of these idle people and de- 



132 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

serted streets ought to make them more enterprising 
and ambitious. 

During my stay in Bruges I learned a great deal 
from experience. I saw how I had been foolish in 
some things and how I could be wise in others. I 
learned that it didn't pay to buy chocolate to drink, 
and that it was poor policy to have any meat unless 
absolutely necessary. It was soon evident to me that 
meat was only for the wealthy, of whose number I 
was not. I went into the " cremerie " during my first 
day in the city and asked for roast beef, after having 
spent half an hour saying the word in French, so that 
I would be sure and have the pronunciation correct. 

My labors were rewarded, for the waitress understood 
me the first time, and I didn't have to repeat the 
order. When she brought it in to me, I looked at it 
in disgust, for it was very small, and apparently very 
tough. But of course I was prevented from complain- 
ing by my lack of language, so I ate it without saying 
anything, except to myself. When I came to pay for 
it, I was astounded to find that the price for roast 
beef was one franc, or twenty cents, to say nothing of 
the rest of the dinner. The price was enormous to my 
mind, for it was only a cheap restaurant. In a more 
expensive place no doubt they would have charged me 
twice as much. 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 133 

I went away heart-sick, for such an extravagance 
was wicked, when I was trying to live on at least 
twenty-five cents a day. I had hoped to get my 
meat for about six or seven cents, and it would 
have been a luxury even then. At twenty cents it 
was terrible. But experience was the only teacher for 
me in the matter of expenditure. If I paid a big price 
once, I was careful not to do it again, and in that way 
I soon learned what my bill-of-fare must be if I wanted 
to live within my income, which I had figured out as 
about twenty-five cents a day on the average. 

During my first days in Belgium I found my expenses 
running up to fifty and even sixty cents, and was 
wild with fear that I would never be able to keep 
them down to twenty-five. But I finally did so, and 
my first extravagance was paid for later on in Ger- 
many, where I at last managed to exist comfortably 
on twenty cents a day. 

As soon as I had seen all the things that were inter- 
esting in Bruges, I set out again on the road to Ghent, 
which was on the direct line to Brussels. My knap- 
sack, which had been too heavy on my first day's 
tramp, was lightened perceptibly by the removal of 
some superfluous clothing, so that now it was very 
light and easy to carry. It contained nothing save 
the bare necessities, my journals, a suit of under- 



wear* a clean shirt, my litt pot, with some 

coffee, and a tiny alcohol lamp* With my coffee-pot 
and the coffee at hand, and the alcohol lamp 
dependent on "creme es With a few 

rolls and these facilities for making coffee I could get 
aloiu: olL 

The road from Bruges to Gher: is ore inn 
c thutt the one f: end. The tiny villages 

were more frequent and tsque, and there 

more people traveling towa: ds Ghent And then 
I had no further experiences ith dogs, which was 
comforting, for since my adventure on the way to 
Bruges I had been dreading my foot journeys on that 
account. I was as much interested as ever in the 
farmhouses and the farmer folk* but didn't find them 

very £ v v^-:\i:;::-;.v.. 

Being thirst \. I went into one of the houses and 
asked for a glass of milk, making use of the sign 
language I had been obliged to invent. The woman 

itly understood w but she only 

laughed contemptuously, and motioned me a 

s so angry I could have used my staff on her, for 

as orrid in appearance, and almost mascul. 
attire, since she wore bloomers instead of a skirt, I 
nevei saw such anu::. disregard for appearance as 
wis ci>-' ... .:.*.'. :>.c pc^s. :v.c:. 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 135 

seemed content to wear just any old thing so long as 
it kept them warm. And as for colors, the taste all 
through Belgium was disgusting to me, though I know 
some people say it is very old and beautiful. I never 
could see anything attractive in red and yellow to- 
gether, especially since the trouble with Spain. 

I reached Ghent in the middle of the day, and set 
about immediately on my sight-seeing, for I knew 
there was much that I wanted to see, and I didn't want 
to remain in the city longer than two days at the most. 
After I had visited a few of the most famous places, I 
decided it was time I was looking for a lodging, and set 
out in search of a cheap one. And I had a most tire- 
some time finding it. 

I went from house to house, and sometimes I was 
unable to make the stupid folks understand what I 
wanted, but in most cases the astute landladies, imagin, 
ing me to be a foreigner, asked too much for their 
rooms, and I refused to pay them. At last I managed 
to secure a very cheap one in the business part of the 
city, after I had represented myself as a German 
student, instead of an American. 

I was careful to speak no English, and of course I 
couldn't speak any German, but the landlady didn't 
know the difference. After this I always planned to 
be a German student when looking for lodgings, for 



*36 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

those unfortunate young men are proverbially im- 
pecunious, and well known throughout Europe for 
that one quality. Of course the plan was not feasible 
on all occasions, but as a rule I made a real good 
German and saved many a franc that way. 



CHAPTER XIII. 

I REMAINED two days in Ghent, admiring the 
ancient buildings, and marveling at the sights which, 
though old to most people, were new and wonderful 
to my boyish eyes. Then, having seen enough of old 
Flanders to last me for some time, I set out again on the 
road to Brussels, where I arrived in a very short time. 

Being successful in rinding a place to stay which 
made but moderate demands upon my moderate 
purse, I settled down to spend three or four days in 
the bright little metropolis, which I found to be well- 
named " petite Paris." My room was a mere attic, 
away up in the top of one of the houses in the Rue 
des Prairies, and it was far from being an unattractive 
little place. The view from the dormer window took 
in a great part of the city, the great Palais de Justice, 
the Cathedral and the Horticultural Gardens, which 
were only a block or two distant. 

I established myself very comfortably, so much so 
that I could hardly bear to leave when my visit was 
over. I took my little alcohol stove out of my knap- 
sack, and also cleaned my coffee-pot, so that I made 



138 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

my own coffee every morning. With a cup of it and 

some rolls, I fared every bit as well as I would have 
done in any hotel, and as I also prepared a cold lunch 
for myself at night, I lived very cheaply, and quite 
within my income. 

When a person lives for twenty-five cents a day 
in one of the capitals of Europe, however small it 
may be, he accomplishes a great deal. My dinner I 
bought at a cheap restaurant a few squares away, and 
it also was very good, though cheap. I had great 
difficulty in making the waitress there understand 
what I wanted, but I soon learned how to call for 
roast beef and roast veal, and I alternated these two 
day after day. As I spent but three days in the city, 
I got along very well on this limited bill-of-fare. 

Being settled, and able to live within my allowance 
each day, I set out with a light heart to see something 
of the gay little capital. I was pleased with the city 
from the very first day. for it has a refreshing gayety 
about it that is noticeable at once to the person com- 
ing from staid old England. The boulevards are so 
bright and crowded with people that one can't help 
but imbibe the spirit of festivity and take an interest 
in everything about him. 

Every one in Brussels seems to have a good time, 
and have it, too, without any great effort. The very 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 139 

beggars in the street have a cheerful expression, and 
they get along better than in almost any other city 
in Europe, it is said. For though the Belgians 
ordinarily are thrifty and saving, they seem to change 
completely when they come to Brussels. 

I had my first experience with boulevards during 
the first day of my stay in the city, and it was also my 
last. Being tired with walking, towards evening I 
came to one of the most attractive of them, and see- 
ing so many people seated at the open caf£s on the 
sidewalk, I decided to try a seat in one of them myself, 
just to see what such a thing was like. 

Of course I couldn't sit there without ordering some- 
thing, and as I couldn't drink wine and didn't care for 
coffee, I decided to have a cup of chocolate, because I 
thought that would be both cheap and refreshing. 
After five minutes spent in trying to make the waiter 
understand what I wanted, and after he had brought 
out several mysterious bottles, he finally brought me 
a tiny cup of the desired beverage. I drank it all, 
for it was very good, what there was of it, and then I 
looked at the check he had given me. 

Imagine my feelings when I saw written thereon — 1 
franc. I could have almost cried from disappointment 
and disgust. Here I was, living in an attic to save a few 
cents, and now I had to pay a whole franc for a little 



i 4 o A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

cup of chocolate. It was enough to make me ill, for 
no one can have any idea of my feelings about money 
during those days. But there was nothing to do but 
pay the price, though it was hard to do it. I knew 
that this piece of extravagance would make me econ- 
omize in other things for many days, and I was already 
economizing as much as anybody can. I remembered, 
though, that I was learning from experience what to 
avoid in the future, but found this thought but poor 
comfort. 

The caf£s, however, seem to be extremely popular 
with the Brussels people, many of whom spend a 
good part of their time in them. The men are 
especially fond of them, and sit for hours at the 
little round tables, drinking absinthe or coffee, or per- 
haps wine. They spend their time in these' cafes in- 
stead of being at work where they ought to be, and 
allow their poor little hard-working wives to slave 
their lives away in keeping a grocery or a laundry or 
some such place. 

It went against my American ideas of things to 
see the Belgian men act this way, and I never 
saw one of the poor little women but what my 
heart went out to her in sympathy. Most of the gro- 
ceries and such small stores are kept by women, and 
I have often seen one woman attending to several 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 141 

things at once. They always have their knitting 
handy, ready to be taken up the moment they have a 
spare moment, and once I saw a poor creature rocking 
a cradle, knitting and taking care of a store all at the 
same time. And after that I bought my few little 
provisions at that woman's shop. 

The International Exposition at Brussels was in 
full swing during my stay in the city, and of course I 
visited it. It had been heralded far and wide in 
Europe, and was one of the leading events of the year 
over there. There wasn't much printed about it on 
this side, but it was a very fine affair in its way, and a 
great thing for the Belgians. Crowds of people 
visited the capital solely on its account, and I think 
that on the whole it turned out to be successful. Of 
course it could not compare in any way with the 
World's Fair at Chicago, but then Belgium can't com- 
pare with our country, and one shouldn't expect it to 
approach the Chicago Exposition. 

Its location, on the edge of the city, was an admir- 
able one in every way, for it was in easy walking dis- 
tance of any part. The broad avenue leading up to 
the entrance was thronged with pedestrians, who 
scorned to ride in the trolley cars, which ran down the 
avenue and into the grounds. 

This main avenue, and all Brussels, in fact, was 



142 A YANKEE BOYS SUCCESS. 

gayly decorated in honor of the Fair, and the streets 
at night were illuminated with lanterns of red and blue 
and green. There were fireworks, too, and everything 
was done to perfection that could make the affair a 
success. 

When I walked up to the entrance and saw the 
great Exposition Building before me I was very much 
disappointed at first. It was not a grand structure, 
and not beautiful to look at, but I later learned that 
it was admirably adapted for its purpose. There 
were beautiful grounds surrounding it, and fountains 
playing on the plaza in front of the entrance. 

When I entered the building, I saw immediately 
that though the exposition was supposed to be Inter- 
national, it was in reality mainly Belgian. The greater 
part of the whole space was occupied with native ex- 
hibits, though the foreign countries had small ones. 

Germany, England and France, competitors for 
Belgium's trade, made quite extensive displays, but the 
other nations had evidently not exerted themselves to 
make an impression. I was much interested in what 
there was to see, for the exhibits were all novel and 
new to me. Everything was very different from any- 
thing I had ever seen at an American Fair and 
arranged in new ways. 

I was naturally very anxious to find the American 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 143 

exhibit, for I thought it impossible that we should 
have none at all. I was beginning to think that, 
though, when I accidentally ran across our little coop 
away up in one corner, far from the madding crowd. 
I could hardly believe my eyes when I recognized it, 
and I don't think I was so ashamed of my country at 
any time during my pilgrimage as I was at that mo- 
ment. It was simply disgraceful to every American, 
for there were only a few desks and bicycles in the 
whole place, and these were evidently there to adver- 
tise some industry. 

There was also an exhibit of typewriters, I believe, 
but they were hardly noticeable. I thought to myself 
that it is no wonder the foreigners have such .a poor 
opinion of us, when we never show them what we 
can do. They probably think us incapable of pro- 
ducing anything better than bicycles and desks, and 
they have a right to such an opinion, since we show 
them nothing else at their Expositions. I didn't 
remain in the American exhibit long, for I was really 
ashamed of it all, and was afraid some one would take 
me for a Yankee and ask me why we didn't make a 
better show. 

The Exposition was well attended on the day that I 
was there, and every one seemed delighted with what 
they -saw. The poor simple Belgian folk had never 



144 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

seen anything greater, and imagined that there could 
be nothing more beautiful than this display. I couldn't 
help but wish that some of them had been in Chicago 
for the World's Fair. 

There were very few real " sights " to see in Brus- 
sels. The handsomest building in the city was the 
new Palais de Justice, which cost seven million dol- 
lars and is one of the finest structures in all Europe. 
I never looked at it without wondering where the city 
authorities ever got enough money to build it, for it 
was built by the corporation of Brussels. 

The poor peasants must have had to save and scrimp 
for many years to pay for such a handsome thing. 
And though I was in it several times, and saw through 
every room in it, I failed to see that it was of much 
use. Most of the elegant rooms were never used, and 
more than half the building was occupied by the great 
rotunda and the halls. So the people of the city 
would have been ruled as well from a two-story brick 
building as from this wonderful marble palace. 

In Brussels I had my first look at the paintings of 
the old European masters, and before I visited the 
Galleries I wondered whether I would appreciate the 
great masterpieces or not. I had never seen many 
pictures, so I hadn't the least idea how I would be im- 
pressed with these, I am sorry to say that I didn't 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 145 

appreciate them as much as I should, but boys can't 
be expected to admire madonnas and other unnatural 
pictures when they can see real live paintings of the 
actual life of to-day in a neighboring gallery. 

So I must confess that I had a much better time 
at the modern Gallery, and decided that I would have 
to cultivate my taste for Rubens and Murillo. I did 
cultivate it later on, but that's another story. 



CHAPTER XIV. 

I HADN'T been in Brussels more than a day or two 
before it occurred to me that I hadn't yet seen King 
Leopold, who I knew was in the city. I had been un- 
fortunate enough to just miss him the day I attended 
the Exposition, and on another occasion he had passed 
by me in the street before I knew who he was. It 
seemed, in fact, that I wasn't to see him under any 
circumstances, for on yet another occasion I just 
missed his carriage. 

I had been seated in my attic adding my little 
account-book, when I heard cries of " Vive le Koi" in 
the street without. I knew at once the meaning of 
the words, and, all excited at the nearness of his 
Majesty, I ran pell-mell down the stairs and out into 
the street, only to see his carriage turning the corner 
of the block below. I was terribly disappointed, but 
inwardly determined to see him yet, even if I had to 
go to the Palais Royal. 

I tried, though, to catch a glimpse of him in the 
street, for I knew very little about Belgian Royalty, 
and preferred not to enter the palace itself unless I 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 147 

had to do so. It seemed, though, that I had lost 
every opportunity of seeing him in public, and I finally 
decided to go to the palace and see what I could do 
there. So I went across the tiny park upon which it 
faces and took a reconnoissance. 

The palace was not a beautiful building without, 
by any means, reminding me of nothing so much as a 
penitentiary I had seen in Brooklyn. It was sur- 
rounded by a high stone wall, and there were iron 
bars at all the windows on the street. On the 
whole, it was a disagreeable-looking place, and I 
wondered what any king wanted with such a 
house. 

There was apparently no place to enter but at the 
single gate in the stone wall, and this was guarded by 
two soldiers. I didn't want to make any trouble of 
any kind, and hoped to arrange everything without a 
disturbance, so I debated for some moments what I 
had best do. I at last decided that it would be the 
best plan to walk in the gate unconcernedly, and per- 
haps the guard would take me for a messenger and let 
me pass. So I took on an air of unconcern and marched 
in, not even deigning to glance at the guards. One of 
them, I noticed, made a move as if to stop me, but as 
I walked calmly ahead, he probably thought better of 
it and. let me go. 



148 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

As soon as I was within the gates I saw before me 
a broad courtyard, with the main entrance to the 
palace. I took in everything at a glance. At the en- 
trance were two officers, and from their appearance I 
guessed that they would be likely to make me trouble. 
There was no opportunity now, however, to back out, 
and I was compelled to go up to them and mention my 
business. They looked at me in astonishment as I 
approached them, and when I said, in carefully pre- 
pared French, "Is the King at home?" their faces 
took on an expression of mingled fear and curiosity. 
The foremost one immediately broke out in a tirade 
of French, and, seizing me by the shoulders, addressed 
several questions to me in that language, not one of 
which could I understand. 

I began to see, though, why they had seized me, for 
they were evidently disturbed over the fact that I 
wanted to see the King. I inwardly reproached my- 
self for not having studied up some other phrase to 
have used, for I might have known that their fears 
would be aroused by the idiotic question I had put to 
them. Meanwhile the first officer continued to shake 
me and jabber French, and it was some time before I 
could make him understand that I was English and 
not a Belgian, or Frenchman either. And then, when 
I managed to make him understand that, he called 







ELT LIKE AN ACTUAL CRIMINAL 

—Page U9. 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. - 149 

his friend into consultation, and finally sent him off at 
post haste after some one else. He held me tightly, 
as though afraid that I might escape, and I was be- 
coming very much frightened, and wished that I had 
remained outside the gates, where I belonged. 

While all this jabbering was taking place, a good- 
sized crowd had gathered at the gate, and I could see 
them peering through the bars, trying to see what was 
taking place. As I saw them there I felt like an 
actual criminal, and if I had tried to murder the King 
in truth the interest manifested by the officials could 
not have been greater. 

Finally the one who had gone off returned, bringing 
two other officers with him, one of whom seemed to 
be in high authority. He looked me over critically, 
much as a prospective buyer examines a horse, and 
then he soon decided what was to be done with me. 
I could, of course, understand nothing of what passed 
between them, and I went with them in fear and trem- 
bling, for by this time I had begun to imagine all sorts 
of things that might happen to me. I remembered at 
that moment every tale I had ever read about the 
punishment meted out to assassins who had tried to 
kill the King, and as I supposed that was what I had 
been arrested for, I naturally expected to be given 
my choice between hanging and being shot. 



150 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

The officers, however, were not unkind to me, and 
when we entered a low building at the other end of the 
courtyard, which I knew at once to be a courtroom 
of some kind, I began to hope, for they were evidently 
going to give me a chance to prove my innocence of 
any dark designs on the royal person. My jailor 
led me into this room, and I was motioned to a seat ; 
then, hope returning, and justice in sight, I recovered 
my senses and demanded an interpreter. I repeated 
my desire time and again, until they finally compre- 
hended it and made me understand that they had 
already sent for one. I was made happy by this, for 
I thought I would soon be able to explain every- 
thing. 

The interpreter was not long in arriving, for, like 
every one else, he was taking the liveliest interest in 
this new turn of affairs within the palace. They were 
not used to such juvenile offenders, and wanted to 
know what kind of a person I could be. I soon told 
them who I was, and how I had come to the palace 
hoping to see King Leopold, but had been captured 
by these officers at the very entrance. I told them 
that I had no intention of assassinating any one, and 
all I now wanted was to be let alone, that I might get 
back again into freedom. 

I made a strong appeal, I suppose, for the interpre- 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 151 

ter listened attentively to everything I had to say, 
and when I had finished he began to repeat my state- 
ment to the officers. They were all immediately con- 
vulsed with laughter, and the joke was on the grandee 
who had first arrested me. 

I wasn't interested in all this, however, and only 
wanted to get away as quickly as possible. I ventured 
to suggest to the interpreter that I was very anxious 
to get back to my room, and didn't think I was needed 
here any longer. " Just wait a minute," he said ; 
" I'm not sure but what the King would like to see you 
now, since you have had such a hard time getting to 
him. If you're not really in a hurry, I'll ask him." 

Of course I wasn't in a hurry, if after all I was to see 
the King, so I sat down again and smiled at the officers. 
They smiled back again, and in that way we carried 
on a conversation during the absence of the interpre- 
ter, whom they called Count Duclerc, I believe. The 
Count, though, was soon back. " Yes, the King will 
see you right away if you'll come with me ; he was 
much interested in what I told him of your adven- 
tures." 

So I followed him out of the courtroom, across the 
yard, and into the palace again, taking the liveliest 
interest in everything now, for my scare was over 
with. I noticed with delight the superb interior of 



152 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

the building, which looked like a penitentiary without 
and passed from room to room as in a maze. Every- 
thing was rich, and yet in the best of taste, and the 
furnishings were all old and valuable. 

The Count took me into a long, richly decorated 
room, with great glittering chandeliers and a throne 
at the further end. "This is the throne-room," he 
said, " and the King said he would see you here. It 
is seldom that he does this, generally preferring to see 
people in the reception hall, so you must feel yourself 
honored." We sat down, I all a flutter with excite- 
ment and the Count mildly interested in my feelings. 
I could hardly contain my admiration of the things I 
saw about me, and babbled a perfect streak about how 
delighted I was at the turn my adventures had taken. 

We had been there just a minute when the door 
opened at the other side of the room, and the Count 
was on his feet in a minute. I followed him, being 
fearful of committing some blunder if I didn't do what 
he did, for I had received no instruction as to the ways 
of the Belgian court. The Count advanced to meet 
the King, and walked forward with him a few steps. 
" Here is the boy," he said, in English, " you can tell by 
looking at him that he is an American." The old 
King smiled pleasantly. " Yes, he's an American, I 
guess," he said, as he extended his hand to me. " Sit 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 153 

down," he said to us both, " and let us have a little 
talk to ourselves, just informally, you know." 

I was surprised at this, but followed the Count in seat- 
ing myself. " I never knew people were allowed to sit 
down before kings," I remarked, not thinking how 
queer the speech would seem to his Majesty. He 
only laughed, though, and turned it off. "You can 
before this King," he said. Then we talked about the 
trip from America, and about my future, and what 
my expectations were, so that in a short time the King 
was very much interested in me and in America. " I 
hope to visit your country before long," he said to- 
wards the close of the interview, " and you must come 
and see me then." I promised that I would, and the 
interview was over. 

The King, in parting, shook hands with me in good 
American style, and I decided that he was a man 
worth seeing. He is pleasant in appearance, with a 
long gray beard and a slight stoop as he walks. His 
face is a charming one, full of kindness. So I was 
delighted with what I saw of him and at the wonderful 
turn my fortunes had taken on this eventful morn- 
ing. 

I went out of the palace with my heart full of glad- 
ness, and went up the stairs to my little room two 
steps at a time when I reached the old house, which 



154 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

looked more dreary than ever after my glimpse of the 
Palais Royal. Then I began to put my things in my 
knapsack, washing out my little coffee-pot and cleaning 
everything up nice, for early the next morning I 
planned to leave for Germany, via the south of Hol- 
land. 



CHAPTER XV. 

With my knapsack again on my back, and with my 
sturdy staff in my hand, I set out from gay little Brus- 
sels for Antwerp and Amsterdam, and eventually, of 
course, Germany. I was sorry to leave the quaint 
little Belgian capital, where I had been having such a 
wholly delightful time, and I promised myself that if I 
ever had an opportunity to visit it again I would do so. 
My stay had been pleasant in every way, and my visit 
to King Leopold had been a fitting climax to a whole 
succession of good times of every description. I had 
lived, too, within my income, and that was a comforting 
thought, for if I had thought I had been extravagant, 
I would have been unable to sleep nights, so intense 
was my anxiety in this regard. 

I planned to go to Antwerp first and see the nu- 
merous attractions of that most famous city, and then 
I would take the shortest route to Amsterdam. From 
Holland I would go to Cologne as best I could. I 
hadn't planned this tour in very great detail, but I ex- 
pected it to take about ten days or two weeks, and my 
idea turned out to be correct. At twenty-five cents a 



156 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

day, a two-weeks' trip would cost me three dollars and 
a half, but after great deliberation I decided that it 
would be worth that much to me. I was full of curi- 
osity to see those queer old Dutch windmills, and the 
queer old Dutchmen, too, and then I would get such a 
good insight into the peasant life of the countries, 
and that is something worth having. 

Therefore I set out contentedly and walked from 
morning till noon and noon till night. By this time I 
was beginning to learn from experience how to make 
my pedestrian trips less fatiguing, and I did not hurry 
myself at all. I used to stop every time I came to a 
pretty village, and when I liked a place especially 
well I stayed as long as I pleased, for time was of very 
little value to me these days. 

I found the Belgian peasantry on the road from 
Brussels to Antwerp much more congenial than that I 
met in Flanders, for they were of German stock, with 
all the delightful characteristics of the friends in the 
Fatherland. They treated me very well indeed, and if 
I wanted a glass of milk I could have it usually for noth- 
ing, and I never paid more than a couple of centimes 
for it, which is half a cent in American money. And 
if I wanted some bread I was given it at equally low 
rates, and I even managed to get a bed in some places 
for three cents a night. So I had no reason to hurry, 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 157 

for instead of my trip costing me three dollars and a 
half, I had hope of making it only three dollars and 
a quarter, or even three dollars alone. 

But if I lived cheaply in the country districts, I 
almost made up for it in Antwerp, where I found it 
impossible to live for less than thirty-five cents a 
day. I tried to economize in every way imaginable, 
but Antwerp is the great business metropolis of 
Belgium, and rents are therefore high. 

The city, though, was wonderfully interesting, and in 
spite of the great expense of living, I remained there 
for three days, visiting the famous Cathedral each morn- 
ing and evening, and marveling at the quaint old houses 
in the narrow streets. In the Cathedral I heard that 
there were some pictures by Rubens, and I decided to 
go and look at them. When I arrived at the place, 
however, I was told that the charge for seeing them 
was twenty-five cents, and I declined to pay it. I was 
thoroughly disgusted at the idea of charging admis- 
sion to churches or anything in them, for it was not 
according to my American ideas of things. 

These pictures at Antwerp are kept covered with a 
curtain, which is lifted whenever a certain number 
want to pay a franc for the privilege of looking at 
them. At other times the pictures are invisible and 
the worshipers look at bare green cloth instead of at 



158 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

some inspiring madonna or figure of Christ. I told the 
keeper that morning what I thought about it, and he 
said that they must raise money some way. I sug- 
gested that they give an ice-cream social on the 
American plan, but he only shook his head and pro- 
fessed ignorance of anything of the kind. And he 
didn't even know about the famous " donkey-parties " 
so popular with us, and I decided that European 
churches are behind the times. 

The beggars in Antwerp were a source of much 
innocent enjoyment to me, for I did love to watch 
them following the poor, inoffensive tourists about, 
weeping and wailing, and begging for a few centimes. 
There was never any fear of my being bothered by 
them, — my appearance assured me of that — so I took 
great delight in witnessing the discomforts of the 
people with red guide-books in their hands. 

The red guide-book seemed to be the signal to the 
beggars for an onslaught, and whenever they saw one, 
even if it were only visible in a man's pocket, they 
set up a desperate howl for sympathy. It is said that 
Antwerp has more street beggars than almost any city 
out of Italy, for in Bruges, the city of beggars, they 
stay at home and wait for people to bring them money. 

Everything in Antwerp cost money, even the 
museums, which I supposed were public. I finally 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 159 

became afraid to go anywhere, for sometimes it was 
impossible to avoid paying, because they asked your 
ticket when you went out, instead of taking it on 
your entrance. 

It made me heart-sick to see my account-book 
when I was ready to leave Antwerp. There were 
several items there that I knew should not have 
appeared at all; the fee for entering the museum of 
printing, for instance, where I had been unable to 
understand a single thing the French guide said, and 
where I had quarreled with the doorkeeper over the 
price of admission. And then there was the five 
cents I had spent for bread, when I could have 
bought some every bit as good for two cents at another 
bakery. There were other items equally disturbing 
to my economical mind, and I determined to live on' 
twenty cents a day in Holland or starve. 

I wasn't sorry to leave Antwerp, where I had been 
the victim of so many unscrupulous shopkeepers, and 
I entered the lowlands of Holland with thanksgiving. 
I had been in Belgium quite long enough, and felt 
satisfied that I had seen most of what there was to 
see in that little kingdom, even including the King in 
my list of " sights." I was now ready to see some- 
thing of Holland and the quaint little Dutchmen I 
had dreamed about for so many years at home, and 



160 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

which I had not expected to see when I was only 
sixteen. And then a little later I would have such a 
fine time in Germany, where I was quite sure every 
one would be as nice as could be to me, if they were 
anything like the Americanized Germans at home. 

It was a short tramp from Antwerp to Amsterdam, 
through a very interesting but very unpicturesque 
country. There were more canals than I had ever seen 
before in all my life, and so many quaint little huts, with 
great windmills near by them. The windmills were a 
source of never-ending interest to me, for they were 
every bit as pretty as they look on the delft-ware 
plates, and much more natural looking. The people, 
too, reminded me very much of the quaint folk in 
blue, and in fact I didn't have a single disappointment 
during all the time I was in Holland. 

Everything was just as beautiful and as interesting as 
I had hoped to find it, and every one treated me with 
kindness and good-will. Holland was the only country 
where I felt free to be myself for once, and no longer 
an impecunious German, for the good folk had no 
idea of overcharging me because I was an American. 
In truth, they actually treated me, if possible, with 
greater kindness on that account. They were sympa- 
thetic because I was alone and so far away from home 
and friends, and I met many a good Dutch mother who 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 161 

was inclined to take me under her wing and treat me 
as her own child. 

It was no wonder that, under such circumstances 
as these, I managed to live on twenty cents a day 
and less, and on several occasions men gave me work 
to do, so that I could earn a little money to add to 
my slender store. One day in Amsterdam I called on 
a large firm of exporters and asked them to give me 
some writing to do in English, and after consulting 
their man who did this work, they decided that I had 
come just at the right time, for the regular man had 
more than he could do. 

So I was placed under his supervision, and for two 
days I did copying for him, and also wrote some cir- 
culars on the typewriter, with which I was familiar. I 
would have remained longer only they had no more 
work for me after the second day. For what I did, 
however, they rewarded me liberally, and the money 
was almost a godsend to me at that time, when I was 
beginning to wonder if I could make my money last 
me during all the time I wanted to remain on the 
Continent. 

From Amsterdam I walked more than half the long 
distance to Cologne, and then, as I was weary, and the 
rest of the country was very uninteresting, I decided to 
take a. train for the remainder of the way. I thought 



162 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

myself justified in this extravagance by my economical 
living in Amsterdam, and my conscience was there- 
fore easy. When I arrived in the village from which 
I planned to take the train, I inquired for some one 
who spoke English, for I wanted to find out about the 
time-table, and when the train would come through. 
I also wanted to be sure about the fare and as to the 
time we would arrive in Cologne. But though I tried 
every way to find some one, there seemed to be no 
person in the town who could speak English, and I 
was obliged to do the best I could. 

There was nothing to do but go to the station and 
wait until the train came along, for it was beyond me 
to read the printed time-tables and understand any- 
thing about them. The train might come in a few 
minutes and it might come at midnight, and I would 
simply have to wait in the station for it. It was all 
very disgusting, and if the train hadn't fortunately 
come along in an hour I would have been inclined to 
walk, even if it was a long way to Cologne. I bought 
a ticket when it arrived and jumped into a third-class 
carriage, which was the cheapest I could get. They 
have fourth-class on some roads, and I rode in one of 
them in Germany, but this time I traveled in a luxu- 
rious third. 

And it was bad enough. The seats were mere hard 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 163 

benches, and the compartments were so small one 
could hardly stand up in them. In the same one with 
me were a peasant woman with three children and a 
portly gentleman who snored through the entire jour- 
ney, so I wasn't lonesome at all. I sat there in perfect 
misery hour after hour, vowing that I would never 
again ride in a railroad train if I could possibly walk. 
The country through which we passed to Cologne was 
low and uninteresting, with windmills here and there, 
and a lone church tower to relieve the dreary monot- 
ony of the landscape. It wasn't even a good farming 
country, for the land was yellow and full of rocks, 
and the poor peasants looked as though they were 
having a hard struggle to eke out an existence. 

They were coarse-featured and vicious, for we were 
passing through Belgium, and they looked ill-humored 
and ill-fed. I felt truly sorry for them, and had a 
notion to get out of the train and tell of the glorious 
farming lands of our great west, where they could make 
a decent living, anyhow. But the train sped on and 
on, and there was no stopping to sympathize with 
peasants. 

Finally we arrived at the German frontier, and the 
train was halted while the customs officers examined 
our baggage. I say " our " baggage, though I had 
none save my knapsack, and it was soon passed by the 



164 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

examiner. He didn't even look into it, and I might 
have had thousands of dollars worth of lace stowed 
away. But of course my clothing didn't look as 
though I had, and boys don't usually carry lace. 

The examination was very rigid, though, for most 
people, and the officers did their work thoroughly and 
well. They wore the handsome regulation uniforms 
of the government, with the typical cap and long, but- 
toned coat. Everything was done up in order, and I 
would have known in a moment that I was in the 
Kaiser's dominions. 

At this customs station a German railroad train was 
awaiting us, and we were all transferred to it, for 
which I was very thankful. This train was superior in 
every way to the Belgian one, and the third-class car- 
riages were roomy and comfortable. The change was 
accomplished in five minutes, and then we sped away 
again towards Cologne, through a country more beau- 
tiful than any I had yet seen in Europe. There were 
low, green hills, and deep blue streams, and pretty 
white villages with high church spires. It was all so 
beautiful and so interesting that I fell in love with 
Germany at once, and have been in love with it ever 
since. 

As we passed station after station I admired the 
way things were kept in order and the great clean- 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 165 

liness of everything connected with the railway. 
The flagmen and switchmen all wore handsome uni- 
forms and stood erect, for the railways are owned by 
the government, which runs them upon the same 
principle that it does its army. 

Finally, after a two hours' ride, the great Cathedral 
spire of Cologne became visible, and I was arrived in 
Deutschland. 



CHAPTER XVI. 

When I alighted from the train in that superb rail- 
way station at Cologne, I felt more lonely than at any 
time so far on my trip. The constant flow of German 
around me, the strange appearance of everything in 
the station and in the street, served to give me a feel- 
ing of being in a far-off country. I came very near 
being homesick, and had my subsequent adventures 
not been so very interesting, I would have wished my- 
self back again in London. 

I determined, though, to fight the feeling off, and 
cheerfully shouldering my knapsack once more, I 
started off across the open square. I had taken but a 
few steps when I realized that the Cologne Cathedral 
was before me, and I involuntarily stopped and looked 
upward. It was impossible to pass the noble structure 
by with a glance, even if I did feel anxious to get 
settled before nightfall. It impressed me then as few 
buildings had done in Europe ; its noble spires, its 
superb proportions and admirable detail compelling 
me to admiration for the mind that evolved such a 
masterpiece of architecture. 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 16? 

I think I never before realized the sacred character of 
a church as I did when looking upward at the heaven- 
touching spires. It filled my boyish soul with a rever- 
ence that years of patient teaching had been unable to 
instill, and made me glad to be a Christian. And 
then, not content with looking at the exterior, I 
mounted the broad steps and entered the beautiful 
nave, only to marvel more and more at the wonderful 
majesty of it. 

I sought a seat near the aisle, for the evening mass 
was taking place, and as the dim twilight came in 
through the art glass windows, throwing an air of 
sacred mystery over it all, I worshiped as I had never 
worshiped before. I must have remained there quite 
a while, for when I went out the twilight was fast 
deepening into night. I had been so entranced with 
the beauty of my surroundings that time passed un- 
noticed. 

As soon as I saw that darkness was not far off, I 
hastened down a side street near the Cathedral, bent 
on finding a cheap lodging. This street looked as 
though it might be a cheap neighborhood, so I 
knocked at the door of one of the cleanest houses and 
inquired for a lodging. How I ever made the woman 
understand me I don't know, for I didn't know a word 
of German, less even than I knew of French. But 



168 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

somehow she comprehended my signs, and taking a 
pencil she marked on a piece of paper the price she 
wanted for her room. I looked at it, and, as I had 
studied German money at school, understood what it 
was. Though it was not by any means high, it was 
more than I wanted to pay, and I refused to take the 
room. 

I then had to go to other houses, and visited three 
before I finally found one cheap enough. It was six 
cents a day, and I thought that with economy I could 
get enough to eat for the nineteen cents that was left 
for me to spend each twenty-four hours. So I took 
the room, unpacked my knapsack, fixed my little stove, 
and prepared to be comfortable during the few days I 
planned to stay in Cologne. I didn't know just how 
long I wanted to remain, for I hadn't any idea how I 
would like the city or how much it would cost me to 
live there. 

The next day was Sunday and a rainy day, so that 
I had to remain within the house most of the time, 
since I hadn't yet learned to be out in all kinds of 
weather. Later on in my pilgrimage I found actual 
delight in being out in the rain, but on this Sunday 
the house seemed more attractive, poor as it was. As 
I sat there in the tiny room, I would have been very 
homesick had I not put in the time in writing letters 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 169 

to people at home. I also wrote an article for the 
Chicago paper, and one for the New York one, be- 
cause I hadn't sent them anything for a long time. 
While in London I had written every week, but as 
I had heard nothing of them I had ceased to be very 
zealous in my writings. But all during the trip I 
sent something every little while, though I often 
doubted if any of it was printed. I was determined 
to keep my part of the bargain whether they kept 
theirs or not. 

It was also lots of fun on this rainy Sunday to 
make coffee in my little pot and prepare my own 
meals. I had run out of coffee in Holland, so I had 
been obliged to buy some the night before, and I 
found it very cheap, and very good as well. I also 
bought some black German bread, which wasn't so 
satisfactory. At first I couldn't bear to eat it at all, 
but gradually I learned to like it better, and before I 
had been in Germany many days I ate it altogether. 
And black coffee and black bread was my Sunday 
dinner that day, because I hadn't been able to get 
anything else before the stores closed the night 
before. And as I ate my black bread, I thought of 
the chicken and mashed potatoes that the folks at 
home were having, and I came very near wishing I 



iyo A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

was there ; just for the day, of course. A boy can't 
help wishing such things sometimes. 

I attended services twice at the Cathedral, for I 
seemed quite unable to keep away from it long at a 
time. It enchanted me more and more with each 
visit, too, and before I left Cologne I had been there 
almost half of my time, examining the paintings and 
the works of art. And the thing I wished most was 
that we had such a church at home, so that I could 
have it always before me. I'm sure we'd all be better 
Christians with it there. 

It was in Cologne that I had my first dreadful ex- 
periences with the German language. I hadn't been 
in the city two days before I was trying to learn some 
of the most simple words, so that I might get along 
better in my subsequent journeys in the country. But 
try as I would, I might as well have tried to learn 
Arabic as German, and I didn't seem to make any pro- 
gress at all. I would get hold of some word and pro- 
nounce it over and over again, trying each time to say 
it as the natives did, and then I would venture to use 
it to some of them myself, only to have my spirits 
lowered. For they never seemed to understand me, 
and though I used to think they pretended ignorance 
with a purpose, there was nothing to do but depend 
on signs. 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 171 

Signs, however, though valuable, are not worth 
much on some occasions. I recall many experiences 
when I would have been better off with a knowledge 
of the language, and where my signs were useless. In 
Cologne itself I had one adventure that might possibly 
have had a serious ending. I was passing a small shop, 
and seeing some stuff in the window that looked exactly 
like white vanilla taffy, I determined to buy some. I 
hadn't tasted any sweets since leaving England and 
had a great longing for them. I entered the shop 
and, pointing to the stuff, made the woman understand 
I wanted some, giving her five pfennig in payment. 
S'he wrapped a few pieces up and I went out happy. 
But I hadn't gone far before my feelings were changed. 
I had put a piece of the stuff in my mouth and the 
taste was the most horrible imaginable. 

It was bitter as it could be, and yet it had a sweet 
taste, too, and I thought that perhaps it was the Ger- 
man idea of taffy. It wasn't soft, but looked as 
though it might have been at one time, and I decided 
to try another piece. The taste was so abominable 
that it was interesting, and I thought perhaps I might 
cultivate a liking for it in the same way I had done 
for black bread. But no, it was simply intolerable, 
and I hastened to a fountain to wash my mouth out. 
That taste remained with me for two days, and I de- 



172 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

termined to ask the first English-speaking German I 
met what that stuff could be. In a few days I met 
one who could speak English, and I thought he would 
go into hysterics when I showed him my treasure. 

" Why," he exclaimed, between laughs, " my boy, 
you might have died had you eaten enough of that. 
It's a kind of disinfectant." I know I turned pale, 
but he assured me that the danger of any ill-effect 
was over now, and I inwardly determined never to 
buy anything again without knowing just what it 
was. 

While in Cologne I had an insight into many Ger- 
man customs, and some of them were very uncom- 
fortable customs. I came near leaving my lodging 
when I discovered that the landlady had given me a 
feather tick to sleep under instead of a quilt. I 
thought she was imposing upon me, when in fact the 
poor woman was trying to do me a kindness. It is 
the custom to sleep that way, and a custom worthy of 
some nation of barbarians, it seemed to me. 

I explained to the landlady that I would rather have 
a quilt, if she had one to spare, and she sorrowfully re- 
moved her feather bed. She was a good-hearted soul, 
and somehow she received an impression that I was 
going to remain with her through the fall and winter. 
I had told her that I was a student, as I had by this 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 173 

time come to believe myself to be in truth, and I sup- 
pose she drew her own conclusions from that. And 
when I explained to her that I expected to go off up 
the Rhine in a day or two, she was very much hurt, 
and explained that she would not have rented me the 
room so cheap had she known I was only a transient 
visitor. But I in turn explained the condition of my 
purse, and after an argument of some duration, in 
which I talked by signs, she agreed that I should have 
it at the price originally agreed upon. But I imme- 
diately began to fear that I would always be in trouble 
about the rent of rooms, for if one German woman 
misunderstood me the rest were likely to do so, too. 
But thereafter I made it a point to settle everything 
beforehand. 

I looked forward to my tour of the Rhine with 
great delight. I was anxious to explore the famous 
river that I had heard about from my cradle up, and 
there was an old picture of it in one of my school 
readers that made me wild to see it. I had never 
been able to forget that picture, and took infinite de- 
light in hunting the very spot it represented when I 
was once started up the river. 

The Rhine at Cologne was not encouraging to one 
who had pictured a silver stream flowing between 
green mountains, for there it was a dirty yellow and 



174 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

would have flowed through a marsh had the city not 
erected embankments all along. But I knew that it 
might be pretty farther up, and wasn't discouraged 
from making the tour. I planned to do it all on foot, 
for the roads looked good in every picture I had seen, 
and I knew I could observe things better by that mode 
of travel. The great, steamers plying between Cologne 
and Mayence looked attractive, but I had only to 
inquire the fare to give that plan up without much 
consideration. The railroad ran along the banks, but 
I decided that it would be far more romantic to do it 
all on foot, and, what was more important, it would be 
much cheaper. 



CHAPTER XVII. 

DURING the first day of my pedestrian tour up the 
Rhine I was determined to make good time, but 
found it very hard to walk along unconcernedly when 
a most wonderful district was being constantly un- 
folded to my view. I had proceeded only a few miles 
from Cologne when the famous river became narrow 
and more clear, so that its waters looked really silvery. 

The banks on either side became higher and higher, 
until at last they approached the dignity of mountains, 
and such wonderful mountains they were. Their 
sides were one mass of green, partly forests and 
partly vineyards, which looked purple from a dis- 
tance, and gave a marvelous effect to the landscape. 
The stream, now silvery, flowed between these walls 
of bright green, and a broad road ran along between 
the mountains and the river, over which I took my 
way. I could hardly keep from stopping every 
moment and looking at the panorama spread out 
before me, it was so new and wonderful to my boyish 
eye. I had never before seen any mountains, and 
these were such lovely ones, too. 



176 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

All day long I resisted the temptation to stop and 
climb some one of them, for I was anxious to get 
well started this first day. I could stop when I reached 
the upper part of the river, where it was said to be 
even more beautiful. My knapsack grew heavy, and 
my feet grew tired, but still I kept steadily on, until 
the sun began to sink in the west. Then, as I came 
to a turn in the road, the most beautiful country I had 
ever looked upon opened before my eyes. It was the 
region of the Seven Mountains, and seven great 
glorious piles of green opened before me, their sides 
dotted with picturesque ruins and modern palaces, 
and their summits crowned with purple clouds, for 
the air was heavy that day. I stopped, lifted my 
knapsack from my shoulder, and feasted my eyes on 
the lovely scene. Then I decided that I had gone 
quite far enough for that day, and nothing seemed so 
desirable on earth as to spend one night in this fairy- 
land before I left it, perhaps not to see its equal 
again. 

So I went to the little village of Konigswin- 
ter, and found a tiny room where I could sleep. 
Then I lit my stove and cooked my coffee, looking 
out of the window all the time at the superb moun- 
tains, and the river winding in and out among them 
until it was lost in the hazy distance. And I felt 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 177 

thankful that I was able to see it, for it seemed worth 
many years of my life. 

After my little supper was over I went out and 
climbed to the top of one of the mountains, passing 
through great forests that looked as though they were 
a thousand years old, and over rocky paths that were 
taking me I knew not where. It was all romantic, 
and grand, and beautiful, and I never felt more 
thoroughly happy than when I stood in the midst of 
these relics of centuries ago and looked down on the 
peaceful valley below me. The very air seemed 
charmed, and everything was wholly beautiful. 

As I climbed up and up, passing the great cave 
where lived the dragon of " Siegfried " fame, and pene- 
trating the great cool forests, I experienced a sense 
of exhilaration that I had never felt before in any 
other place, and I said to myself that it was no wonder 
Wagner conceived such grand operas in the midst of 
surroundings such as these. When I finally reached the 
very summit and looked up and down the river for miles, 
the silver of its waters looked like a ribbon, winding 
to the sea. And on the summit I found an ancient 
ruin, the remains of some old feudal stronghold, and 
I took infinite delight in exploring every nook and 
corner of the decayed walls. It was so new and so 
delightful. 



i;8 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

I need not say that I dreamed that night of great 
dragons living in forest caves, and of a beautiful castle, 
with knights riding up the mountain side to enter it. 
My whole mind was filled with the wonders about me, 
and it was but natural for me to dream of them. 

When I awoke in the morning, I decided to spend 
the day in exploring the ruins, for they seemed to 
be innumerable. Across the river from Konigswinter 
was another picturesque village, and above it were 
more purple mountains, and more ruined castles. In- 
deed the neighborhood was teeming with beautiful 
scenery and charming legends, so that it was real pain 
to tear myself away from it. 

My second night I spent in Rolandseck, two miles 
up the river, and there I learned something about 
German hotels. I reached the village at nightfall, and, 
though I looked everywhere for a room in a peasant 
house, I could find none, and there was nothing to do but 
go to a hotel. This was terrible, for I fully expected to 
be charged an outrageous price and I couldn't afford 
it, not having earned any money since leaving Amster- 
dam. 

But I didn't propose to walk about all night, so 
I selected the most modest of the hotels, and it 
was hard to find a modest one, too, and asked for the 
landlady. She appeared, and to my delight she spoke 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 179 

English very well. I told her my circumstances and 
said that I couldn't afford to pay more than seventy-five 
pfennig for a room. She hesitated, but finally said 
she guessed I could have it for that, since I was only 
a boy. So I secured a dollar room for fifteen cents, 
and retired to rest with a satisfactory feeling. 

And though I didn't often have to stop at hotels in 
Germany, when I did I always managed to persuade 
the landlady to give me a room for fifteen cents. 
Whether they did it because I was a boy, or because 
they needed the money, I do not know, but if they 
had charged more I would have been in duty bound 
to have walked all night on more than one occasion. 

The question of cheap living in Germany, though, 
was easy of solution compared with France and other 
countries I visited later. I would have been able to 
live on my twenty-five cents a day with ease had I 
not by accident discovered a way to live for fifteen or 
twenty cents a day. It was great good luck that I did 
discover this cheap way, for it helped to save money 
that was very necessary indeed to me later in my jour- 
ney. 

It was my custom along the Rhine to reach some 
village about nightfall and find a place to sleep, 
usually furnishing my own food. When I reached 
a village, I always went up to some pleasant-looking 



180 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS 

peasant woman and said the one word " schlafen," 
which I learned had something to do with sleep- 
ing, I never did understand its exaet meaning, 
but it always answered my purpose, for the women 
invariably gave me a room in their own houses, or sent 
me to some neighbor where I could get one equally 
cheap. 

One night I entered a village about midway up the 
river, and following my usual plan. 1 accosted the 
fust woman I met and used my single word. She un- 
derstood me at once, and calling her little boy, she in- 
structed him to take me somewhere. I hadn't the 
least idea where I was going, but followed him obe- 
diently. He led me across the entire village, greatly to 
the delight of those who happened to see my staff and 
knapsack, and finally arriving at a low white building 
he pointed to it and made me understand that I was 
to enter. He then left me while I went into the build- 
ing. 

I met a neatly attired woman in the hallway, and be- 
cause I knew nothing else to say, I said " Schlafen ? " 
She nodded, and I supposed that was all right, and then 
she went out and called some one. In came a great 
fat German, and he motioned forme to enter the front 
room. I did as he told me, and the M front-room " was 
a revelation to me. It was a long, hall-like place, 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 181 

filled with tables, at which a great many men and boys 
sat eating and drinking and smoking. Everything 
seemed immaculately clean and orderly. The men 
were of all ages and descriptions but were clean and 
looked as though they were thoroughly respectable. 
Some of them were very old, eighty years, perhaps, 
and others were only boys, little older than myself. 
They were most all drinking the inevitable beer, while 
others were eating, and still others smoking. There 
was an air of homelike comfort about the room that 
was very delightful, and everything seemed decidedly 
cheerful and pleasant. 

I seated myself on one of the benches, supposing that 
the landlord would soon return and show me up to 
my room. But though I sat there several minutes he 
didn't come back, and I was beginning to wonder what 
was up, when he entered and saw me. He immediately 
motioned for me to take off my knapsack and my cap, 
and I then began to understand things. This was 
apparently some kind of a hotel, and this large room 
was the general sitting-room, dining-room, and smok- 
ing-room all in one. Things were beginning to get 
interesting, and I anxiously awaited the next move on 
the part of the landlord. 

In a little while every one began to order things to 
eat, and they called my attention to a bill-of-fare 



182 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

tacked up on the wall. I looked at it, and though I 
couldn't read it all, most of it was decipherable. The 
following were some of the items upon it : 

Potato Salad i cent. Coffee i cent. 

Two Eggs 2 cents. Hash 2 cents. 

Bread one-half cent. Potatoes 1 cent. 

Soup 2 cents. Boiled Meat . . 3 cents. 

I read it once, and then again, for it seemed almost 
impossible that it could be true. I couldn't believe 
that they could afford to sell things so very cheaply. 
But evety one was ordering them, and paying very 
little, so I finally decided to try it, too, especially as 
the food brought to the others looked clean and 
good. 

So I had some potato salad, some bread and some 
coffee, and as it was so very good, and I was hungry, 
I also ordered some hash, wondering if it would resem- 
ble the American variety. It also was good and I 
began to think this a wonderful place. 

I ate my supper, the best I had enjoyed for some 
time, with great relish and began to await further de- 
velopments. I wondered if the rooms would be as 
cheap proportionately as the food, and tried to 
imagine why I hadn't been shown to my room, instead 
of being made to sit there in the large room. 

I took my journal out of my knapsack and began 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 183 

to write in it, for almost every one in the room was 
writing letters or post-cards, and I thought it safe 
to do as the others were doing. So I wrote until I 
saw them all lay aside everything, even their pipes, 
and sit up straight in their seats. Then I also laid 
away my work, and was surprised to see the fat 
landlord with a great book in his hand. He stepped 
out into the middle of the room, and opening it, began 
to read. 

Of course I couldn't understand a word and 
thought I might as well go on with my writing, but 
the landlord called to me and motioned for me to 
pay attention. So I listened to it all, and could see 
that it was the Bible he was reading. This seemed 
more strange than anything yet, and I was glad 
that I had managed to discover such an interesting 
place. 

When the landlord finished reading he repeated the 
Lord's Prayer, and then, taking a candle, he led us all 
up stairs. But before going up we each signed our 
names and addresses in a large book, and told him how 
much we wanted to pay for a bed. There were some 
for four cents, some for six and some for eight. I de- 
cided to take one for six cents, because I was afraid to 
try a four-cent one the first time. 

We reached the top of the stairs, and five others 



184 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

and myself were shown into one room. There were 
six beds, every one as clean and nice as they could be, 
and the room itself was equally wholesome. The 
landlord stood by with his candle until we were all in 
bed, and then he went away and shut the door. 

I went to sleep with a straw tick over me for a cover- 
ing and slept soundly until morning, when we were' 
awakened by our host. We all washed in a sort of 
trough, and then went down stairs again and heard 
him read the Bible and pray. For breakfast I had 
bread and coffee at a cent and a half, and felt well fed 
after it, too. 

By this time I began to see that this was some kind 
of an institution, for on the wall was a list of Her- 
berge zur Heimaths in all parts of Germany, and they 
were all as cheap as this one, so the sign said. There- 
fore I asked the landlord about it, and he explained 
as well as he could that it was a Christian institution, 
a sort of German Y. M. C. A., and was for the con- 
venience of men traveling about the country on foot. 

So ever after this I asked immediately for the Her- 
berge zur Heimath when I entered a town, and I never 
spent more than fifteen cents a day for my accommo- 
dation. It was a godsend to me, and I never appre- 
ciated anything so much as I did these quiet little 
inns. Should I ever visit Germany again I would stop 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 185 

at these same little places, for I wouldn't care for better 
accommodation. My new discovery saved me from 
the inconvenience of cooking for myself, so that I put 
my little coffee-pot away while I was in Germany, and 
didn't have to buy any more alcohol. 

Thus I proceeded up the Rhine, living on fifteen 
cents a day and beautiful scenery, for the scenery was 
really food and drink to me. 



CHAPTER XVIII. 

I WILL always remember my pilgrimage up the 
Rhine as one long dream of happiness. Having solved 
the question of cheap living so easily, and having such 
a keen appreciation of the beauties all about me, I en- 
joyed that trip as I did no other during my whole time 
in Europe. 

Everything along the noble river seemed perfect 
in itself. The quaint little villages, just large enough 
to fit in between the mountains and the stream, 
were beautiful in every detail, in their queer old 
churches, in their tumble-down shanties, and their 
narrow, winding streets. Some of them looked as 
though they had been transplanted from some village 
a thousand years old, and I was delighted with their 
antiquity, as Americans always are, they say. 

I walked from early morning till late at night, unless 
I found some place especially beautiful, when I would 
look for the Herberge zur Heimath, and prepare to 
stay until I had enjoyed its wonders to the full. The 
road I traveled lay along the very bank of the river all 
the way, so that not a single ruined castle nor a single 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 187 

village escaped me. I think I saw them all, and saw 
them thoroughly, too. 

I had but few startling adventures, and no extraor- 
dinary experiences that amounted to anything. My 
main difficulty was to make myself understood, and 
on some occasions that was impossible. Whether I 
was stupid, or whether it was the Germans, or both of 
us, I do not know, but somehow I had great difficulty 
in making them comprehend my signs. 

I can never forget the night that I was compelled to 
walk in the rain for hours and hours, simply because the 
peasants refused to understand my wants. I had reached 
a very small hamlet at dark, and the sky was covered 
with black clouds, which threatened to rain at any 
moment. I was in a hurry to find a shelter, and I 
knocked at the door of the first house I came to. 
There were no inns, and no other town within several 
miles. A large peasant woman came to the door, and 
I said " Schlafen ? " and made the usual signs. To my 
surprise she slammed the door in my face, and whether 
she did it from misunderstanding me, or whether she 
was simply mean, I never knew. 

I was disheartened at this first failure, but went to 
another house not far away, and when this door was 
opened I put the same question to her. She, too, to 
my surprise, closed the door, though she didn't slam it 



188 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

as the other woman had done. She said something, 
too, though of course I couldn't understand her. I 
determined to try the next house, and met with the 
same result. I was then very much concerned and 
determined to see how far this thing would go. To 
that end I visited almost every house in that tiny 
hamlet and couldn't persuade any one to take me in 
for the night. I have often wondered why it was, and 
have never invented an explanation. 

Since they wouldn't take me in, there was nothing 
to do but keep walking until I came to a larger town, 
where I could find a Herberge zur Heimath or an 
inn of some description. So I started off, and had 
proceeded but a short distance when the great storm 
that had been threatening broke in all its fury, and in 
a minute I was drenched to the skin. The wind howled 
along between the mountains, and the rain blew 
steadily in my face, but still I trudged on, for I had 
learned not to fear a summer rain. I walked for 
several hours, and then, as no town appeared, I de- 
cided that it would be better to seek some shelter 
along the road. I found an old ruin on the lower 
mountain side that was dry within, and curling my- 
self up in my overcoat I fell asleep, on the same 
ground where some old knight had lain him down to 
rest. I passed a pleasant night, after all, for it was 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 189 

very romantic to sleep in such a place. But if it had 
been winter I might have suffered severely from the 
action of the people in the hamlet. 

As I proceeded up the river I made little side trips 
into the mountains and valleys on either side, for 
some of them were very delightful and as quiet 
as though belonging to another world. Others, how- 
ever, had been discovered by the hordes of tourists, 
and were no longer so interesting as they would other- 
wise have been. In some of the valleys were famous 
watering-places, and I used to visit them, too, but 
not to stay over night, for the charges were enormous 
at all of them. 

I one day met a party of Americans who were going 
to Homburg to see the Emperor of Germany, and 
when I asked them why he was there they said that a 
grand review of the troops was taking place, and that 
the King and Queen of Italy were there also. I 
needed nothing more to make me go. Two such 
potentates as these were worth going some distance 
to see, and I immediately shouldered my knapsack 
and started off for Homburg. 

The next few days were among the most wonder- 
fully interesting of all my trip. When I arrived in 
the famous watering-place and settled in a little house 
in the suburbs, I set out to see what was happening. 



igo A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

I found that I was just in time to see the main re- 
view, which was to take place that afternoon on the 
plains without the city. So I hurried through the 
streets, which were filled with handsome carriages 
and richly dressed people, and arrived at the great 
open plaza where the review was to take place. 
I was indeed just in time, for the Emperor and 
the King of Italy were already in their places, 
and the two Queens were following them in a 
carriage. 

The scene was perhaps the most brilliant I had ever 
seen, excepting the Jubilee, for the rich uniforms of 
the officers, together with the handsome gowns worn 
by the women, made a charming picture in the open 
air. Of course I was more interested in the Emperor 
and the King than in any others, and I took up my 
position where I could watch them through it all. 

In a few moments I saw a magnificent spectacle. 
An immense body of cavalry came moving majestic- 
ally across the plain, and they began to canter when 
they arrived opposite the Emperor. It was a wonder- 
ful scene, and I was moved by these magnificent troops 
as by nothing else. When the cavalry had passed, the 
Emperor's own guards came along, their breast-plates 
shining brightly in the sun, and their superb uniforms 
making a beautiful picture. Then, when they in their 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 191 

turn had passed, there came troop after troop of 
other horsemen, and I began to wonder how many 
there were, anyhow. The cavalry, however, was not 
half of the review, for the infantry began to come as 
soon as the horsemen had gone. 

And I think I never saw so many soldiers in all my 
life as I did that one day, for there were about two 
hundred and fifty thousand, some one said, and all in 
the very finest condition. 

The Emperor rode up and down the entire line 
during the passing of the cavalry, followed by King 
Humbert, but he merely sat quietly on his horse dur- 
ing the infantry review. His face wore an expression 
of great satisfaction, and what King could help being 
proud of such a wonderful army ? 

The Emperor made a fine figure on horseback and 
was cheered continually by the troops, so that there 
was a perfect din all the time. His uniform was very 
simple, and yet beautiful, and on the whole I was 
very much impressed with his appearance. He was 
so fine looking beside the King of Italy, who is much 
smaller than the Emperor, that he looked actually 
handsome, though in truth he is not. The King wore 
an Italian uniform and rode well, but was only a 
secondary personage in the presence of the Emperor 
William.- 



192 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

The two Queens sat quietly in their carriage, 
both of them handsome, and both beautifully at- 
tired in tailor-made suits. When the review was 
over they drove off immediately, with the Emperor and 
King Humbert in the carriage with them. The im- 
mense crowd cheered, they all bowed graciously, and 
I had seen the Emperor William and King Humbert 
for the first time. 

The next day I met, by accident, some Americans 
from New York, who happened to know the Emperor. 
They were to see him this day, and then he was 
returning to Berlin. They seemed to think it no im- 
portant event, and since they looked at it in that light 
I wondered if it would be rude for me to ask them to 
take me with them when they went. I decided to 
mention it, anyhow, and did so. They were puzzled 
at first about what to do, and I was wishing that I 
hadn't spoken, when they arrived at a solution of the 
question. They said that it would be impossible for 
them to take me along with them, but for me to be at 
the hotel when they went in to see the Emperor, and 
if possible they would ask him to shake hands with me, 
anyhow. I joyfully consented, and that afternoon I 
dressed up in the best I had, which was, of course, very 
poor. 

At three o'clock I was in the hotel, just outside 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 193 

the entrance to the Emperor's apartments, and I 
hadn't waited long before my friends appeared. They 
were on their way out, and I eagerly asked them if 
they had thought to ask the favor of him. "Yes," 
they said, " run right in now, tell him who you are, 
and shake his hand ; then run right out again. It will 
be all right ; you needn't be afraid. We told him your 
history, and he said we might send you in." 

I thanked them and hurriedly opened the door and 
entered. The footman seemed to expect me, for he 
conducted me through a hall and into a pleasant sit- 
ting-room. There, in an arm-chair, I saw the Emperor, 
and as I entered he looked up with a smile. " O," he 
said, " you are the Yankee boy." I was almost too 
much frightened to say anything, but managed to 
blurt out that I was that boy, and then I shook his 
hand. Somehow I was more frightened than when I 
saw the Queen at Windsor, though the Emperor 
smiled kindly and spoke pleasantly. I didn't stay at 
all, but simply thanked him for his kindness and went 
out again. 

At the door were the people from New York, and 
they were anxious to know what I thought of the 
Emperor. " O," I exclaimed, enthusiastically, " I 
think he's simply fine," and that expressed my feelings 
exactly. . For he had seemed on the whole such a very 



i 9 4 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

different man from the cross, stern person I had 
expected to see, that I liked him immensely, and 
after that I couldn't say enough for the German 
Emperor. 

Such were my experiences at Homburg, and as soon 
as they were over I again shouldered my knapsack 
and set out on my pilgrimage. It seemed so strange, 
though, to talk with Kings and still have to walk 
from place to place in order to save carfare. 



CHAPTER XIX. 

FROM Homburg I walked, day by day, to Heidel- 
berg, where I again set up light housekeeping on a 
small scale. There was no Herberge zur Heimath 
there, and I didn't succeed in finding an inn cheap 
enough. And anyhow, I planned to spend several 
days in the grand old city, and it was more pleasant 
to make my own coffee and fry my own eggs than to 
have it done in some cheap restaurant. 

My stay in the old college town was one of the 
most thoroughly pleasant of any in Germany. I was 
fortunate enough to meet some Americans who were 
residing there, and since they were very wealthy and 
were engaged in writing, they had no difficulty in 
finding some work for me to do. I used to copy 
manuscript for them, and sometimes I ran errands, 
so that on the whole I managed to make myself 
very useful to them, and they paid me well for my 
work. 

This was one of the most fortunate things that 
could possibly have happened to me, for by this time 



1 96 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

my original sum of forty-five dollars had dwindled 
down to only fifteen. 

I had spent almost two months on the journey 
through Belgium, Holland and Germany, and of 
course I had spent a very great deal more than my 
twenty-five cents a day during the latter days along 
the Rhine. I had allowed myself to buy various sou- 
venirs to bring home, for I had an idea that I might 
be able to make some money when I reached Paris, if 
I ran short on the way to that city. And I felt that 
I had been wonderfully economical on the whole. I 
had taken a long side journey from the Rhine dis- 
trict over to Dresden and to Munich, and then I had 
come back again to Heidelberg, before going to Switzer- 
land. 

It was no wonder that I had spent thirty dollars, 
for I had traveled many hundred miles during the 
two months since leaving London, and had seen many 
places and people. 

My conscience, though, was beginning to hurt me 
when I arrived at Heidelberg and earned this bit of 
money to go on with. It was only five dollars in 
American money, but it was as valuable to me in 
Switzerland as thirty dollars would be here at home. 

I spent almost two weeks in Heidelberg, devoting 
my afternoons to exploring the wonderful forests and 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 197 

mountains in the district round about the city. I 
had a most delightful time, and when I came to leave 
for Switzerland, I found it hard to tear myself away, I 
had grown to love the place so well. But I hadn't any 
too much time left for the remainder of my journey. I 
was even then thinking of going home in time for 
Christmas, if possible, and it was now nearing the first 
of October. 

It was late, too, for visiting Switzerland, but I had 
a purpose in going there at this time. I guessed, and 
rightly, too, that the hotels and fashionable resorts 
would be quite deserted by this time, and I would be 
able to exist much cheaper than would have otherwise 
been possible. 

So I set out for Basle with everything more sure 
than for some time past, and arrived in the Swiss city 
without adventure in three days. I had passed 
through the Black Forest district on the way, and had 
explored the quaint streets of ancient Freiburg, so that 
I left Germany feeling that I had seen most of what 
was good to see. 

I was somewhat disappointed when I reached Basle. 
I had always thought of Switzerland as a region of 
great mountains and deep blue lakes, and here there 
was neither mountain nor lake. I consoled myself, 
though, when told that I would be sure to see my fill 



198 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

of both when I reached Lucerne, which I planned to 
visit next after leaving Basle. 

At Basle, though, I had my last glimpse of the 
lovely Rhine, to which I had become so much at- 
tached during my pilgrimage along its banks. Here 
in Switzerland it flowed full and strong between great 
high banks, as clear as crystal and as blue as the sky 
above. It looked but little like the river at Cologne, 
and I have preferred to remember it as I saw it at 
Basle, so very pure, so young and full of life. 

I was pleased with Basle from the first, and there- 
fore pleased with Switzerland also. I liked the mod- 
ern appearance of the streets, and I loved to hear the 
gongs on the trolley cars, for they reminded me so 
much of dear Chicago. The streets were exquisitely 
clean and well paved, and the entire city had a thrifty 
appearance that was almost American. I began to 
think that Switzerland was the most up-to-date coun- 
try I had seen, but what I saw later dissipated that 
idea. 

The tramp from Basle, over the low mountains and 
hills to Lucerne, was almost like a dream to me. At 
every step the beauties of the country became more 
and more evident, and I was in raptures the whole 
time. I simply raved over the picturesque little cha- 
lets on the mountain sides, and couldn't find words 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 199 

to express my admiration for the deep blue lakes in 
the valleys 

It was all getting more and more like the Switzer- 
land I had dreamed about, and when at last the 
glorious snow-capped peaks about Lucerne came into 
view I simply sat down on the ground and lost my- 
self in admiration. It was beyond my wildest dreams 
of beauty, and I scarcely dared to move for fear it 
would all fade away in the mist. How glad I was 
at that moment that I had been ambitious and was 
there seeing nature in her highest beauty instead of 
sitting in the office at Chicago. 

It was night when I finally arrived in Lucerne, and 
I set about finding a comfortable lodging, for my first 
day in the mountains had been the most tiresome one 
I had yet experienced. I wasn't in a frame of mind 
to look far, so when I saw a tumble-down place called 
the Hotel du Boeff I immediately engaged a room. 
I think "Hotel du Boeff" means Hotel of Cow in 
English, though I'm not sure. My room was as 
tumble-down within as the hotel was without, but I 
cheerfully brought out my coffee-pot and set to work 
making something hot to drink. Then I turned down 
my dirty bed and went to sleep. 

The next morning I had what was my first real 
view of Switzerland. I jumped out of bed at six 



200 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

o'clock and went to my window. There I beheld a 
sight such as I had never expected to see. Below 
me, stretched around the end of a deep blue lake, 
was the ancient city, with its quaint old buildings and 
vari-colored flags. At the end of the lake were the 
Alps in all their glorious raiment of snow and ice, and 
as the sun rose slowly in the East their tops were 
tinged with a wonderful pink, so that they glowed as 
though with fire. 

I stood there in my night clothes and looked and 
looked, intoxicated with the beauty of it all. I must 
have remained there a long time, for the sun was high 
above the mountains before I lit the fire to make my 
coffee. And as I went about that tiny, rickety room, 
I didn't notice the rough, uneven floor nor the bugs 
upon the bed, for I was thinking of those great 
snowy giants and the deep blue lake. One doesn't 
mind a little discomfort when he can feast himself 
on the beauties of Nature, and the cup of weak coffee 
and crust of hard bread are luxuries when eaten amid 
such surroundings. 

I lost no time after breakfast in taking a thorough 
look around the city itself, and then inquired the way 
to the Rigi, which was the most accessible of the 
range about Lucerne. I imagined that from its 
summit I would be able to look right down into the 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 201 

wilderness of snow and ice on the Bernese Alps, and I 
determined to climb it on foot, for I knew the fare on 
the funicular railway to be about ten dollars, more or 
less. 

So I purchased a good strong mountain pole and 
set out for the foot of the mountain. It was nearly 
five o'clock when I reached it, and I decided not to 
attempt the ascent until early the next morning. I 
found a lodging in the hut of a kindly mountaineer 
and slept more soundly, if possible, than I had ever 
slept before. 

Already the fresh mountain air was having its 
effect, and I realized that I needn't have any fear of 
getting sick while in lovely Switzerland. 

I was up before dawn the next morning, and before 
the sun began to rise I was well up on the side of the 
mountain. The great forests, sturdy from long ex- 
posure to the cold mountain blasts, were all about me, 
and there seemed absolutely no life anywhere. As 
the day dawned more and more brightly, I began to 
see the greater snow-clad peaks far, far above me, and I 
climbed with greater zeal, for I was so anxious to be on 
a level with them, where I could look right into their 
frozen fastnesses. 

I couldn't see below me for some time, for the 
valleys. were full of a thick white mist, that beat 



202 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

against the mountain side as the waves of the sea 
against a crag. The mist seemed cut off as cleanly 
as with a knife about half way up the mountain, and 
the rest of the peak was plainly visible. Gradually the 
vapory substance was driven away little by little, and 
finally I looked down into the peaceful, quiet valley, 
and saw the villages just awaking for the day. I 
saw the shepherds driving their flocks out to green 
pastures on the lower slopes, and I saw the wood 
choppers set out from their cabins with axes on their 
shoulders. 

From the great eminence on which I stood the 
people looked like mere pygmies in size, and though 
I could see their every movement, I couldn't hear a 
sound. Everything was as quiet as death, and I real- 
ized that I was walking near heaven. For if there be 
a heaven on earth, it is certainly these high altitudes 
of the Alps, where one can hold communion with the 
great Almighty in his own temple. 

But I mustn't preach. I kept on climbing up and 
ever upward, using my strong pole to aid me, until at 
last, when noon had come, I stood on the very highest 
point of the Rigi. Below me were the four cantons 
of Switzerland after which the great Lake of Lucerne 
is named, and I could see their cities and their ham- 
lets, their mountains and their plains. 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 203 

Lucerne itself was plainly visible, though from such 
a height it seemed to belong to another world, and I 
could see the numerous blue lakes stretched out like 
mirrors between the mountains. It was a view never 
to be forgotten, and it would be impossible to express 
my feelings in words. I never before realized the lack 
of sufficient superlatives in the English language, but 
on this day I wished with all my heart for words to 
express my emotions when looking upon these won- 
derful works of Nature. 

When I descended the mountain that night I felt 
that there was nothing in the world so fascinating as 
mountain-climbing, and I determined to climb every 
great mountain I came to after that. 

It would be useless for me to try and tell of half 
the many adventures I had during the succeeding 
weeks spent amid the glories of the little republic. I 
climbed over the mountains day after day, reveling 
in the exhilaration that came to me from the delight- 
ful exercise and in the superb scenery that seemed to 
abound in Switzerland as plains do at home. And 
each moment I found some new wonder to marvel at, 
and I found it quite impossible to tire of the new 
pleasure which had come to me. 

I think that I speak truly when I say that I enjoyed 
myself more in Switzerland than in any other coun- 



204 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

try I visited, for my days were dreams of delight and 
my nights dreams of days of delight to follow. I 
found that I could live reasonably enough in the 
mountains to permit of my spending some time in the 
country, so I didn't hurry myself on from place to 
place, but took time enough to fully appreciate every 
neighborhood I visited. 

I found the Swiss peasants inclined to be gruff and 
surly sometimes, but, as a rule, I managed to get along 
very well with them. They were content with small 
sums of money for food, too, and were evidently un- 
used to wealth in any form. And since most of them 
live on the slopes of the high mountains year in and 
year out, it isn't much wonder that they are unsophis- 
ticated and have small ideas of the world without 
their own canton. 

I made it my especial object to travel through dis- 
tricts seldom frequented by most tourists, and though 
that is comparatively a hard thing to do, since the 
country is so small and the tourists so numerous, I 
very often managed to surprise some sleepy little 
hamlet that had been without a stranger within its 
gates for many months. The natives all swarmed 
about me in idle curiosity, and I was compelled by 
necessity to broaden my system of sign-language so 
that I could carry on a conversation with them. They 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 205 

invariably treated me with consideration in these out- 
of-the-way places, much better, indeed, than the more 
worldly ones were in the habit of doing. 

From Lucerne I went over to Zurich, and from Zu- 
rich I ventured into the Austrian Tyrol, for I was most 
curious to see the famous inhabitants of that district. 
I found them every bit as interesting as they were al- 
ways said to be, and spent two very delightful days in 
one of their picturesque villages. Their music was 
wonderful, and their costumes as quaint and pretty as 
those of some ancient people of Asia or Africa. It 
was indeed hard to realize that they were as much 
Europeans as my friends in London, and more, in fact. 
And then, when I had seen the Tyrol, I went west 
again. 



CHAPTER XX. 

One morning, during my trip west over the 
Bernese Alps to Berne, I decided that it would be de- 
lightful to walk from the tiny village in which I had 
spent the night over three large mountains and into 
another village. I understood that there was a trail 
which was easy to follow, and that I would see some 
of the finest scenery of the Alps by doing so, and save 
several miles' walk by the short cut. 

So I was up early and ready to start out by dawn. 
I had eaten nothing but my usual breakfast of bread 
and coffee, and felt as well as ever in my life. I 
looked forward to the long climb with delightful an- 
ticipation, for I had been told that I would be able to 
see the great Jungfrau in all her glory, and look down 
into all the other great Bernese Alps besides. 

It was a most delightful prospect, and as I ascended 
the lower slopes of the first mountain, I hurried my- 
self as much as possible, for I was anxious to reach the 
height from which I would be able to see the Jungfrau 
glaciers. 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 207 

I soon passed all the villages on the slopes, and be- 
fore ten o'clock I was nearly half way up the moun- 
tain, and walking along a level plateau which was 
covered with forests of fir trees. All about me was 
that deathly silence so peculiar to high mountains, 
and I might have been entirely out of the world from 
all I could hear or see of it. 

I suppose I was going along thinking of the won- 
ders about me, and then perhaps of home, and what 
the people were doing there, when all at once I looked 
up and around me and discovered that I was no longer 
following a path. There was no trail to be seen any- 
where about, and, so far as I could judge, I was in a 
very different place from what I should have been had 
I been following the path. It was a startling discov- 
ery to make all alone in a terrible wilderness, and, at a 
loss to know which way to go, I stood still and trem- 
bled, and then looked ahead of me. 

I saw that I stood on a slope, covered with great 
trees, through which I could see a great ravine below. 
I decided, after great deliberation, that if I kept on 
walking I might possibly come to a path that would 
take me to the top of the mountain again, and I 
thought I could then continue my journey in safety. 
I knew it would be useless to try and find the path I 
had lost, for in a forest such as that I would become 



208 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

more bewildered every minute, and finally lay down 
to starve to death. 

Little by little I began to realize the seriousness of 
the situation. At first I had not thought it anything 
more than a loss of time, for I supposed I could easily 
find another trail leading to the summit. But now, as 
I sat there on the grass and thought it all over, I saw 
that I might not be able to find any path out of this 
wilderness, for I was in one of the most deserted places 
I had ever seen. I realized that it was within the 
bounds of possibility that I might be left there to 
starve to death, or perhaps to be devoured by wild 
beasts, though I had never seen any in the Alps. 

I determined to go forward, however, and explore 
that great ravine I saw before me, so I walked with 
difficulty down the slope. I was actually weak from 
hunger, for bread and coffee is a slender meal to climb 
mountains upon, and also weak from fright, for I had 
begun to imagine all sorts of things that might happen 
to me. I was only a few minutes in coming to the 
bottom of the slope, and there I beheld a terrible 
sight. The mountain, instead of descending gradually 
into the ravine, was chopped off all at once, and a great 
precipice was the result. 

I stood there, though, and looked over it into the 
deserted ravine. There were other mountains all 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 209 

around it, all of them forming precipices which seemed 
almost insurmountable, and some of the mountains 
themselves were so high that I could scarcely see their 
summits. The great Jungfrau, with her ice and 
snow, formed the wall on one side, and cascades of 
snow were continually falling into the ravine. Every 
few moments I could hear a great noise as of can- 
non, and I knew that the glaciers were crashing down 
her sides, perhaps to crush some poor goat-herd on 
the slope. 

The ravine seemed absolutely desolate of any living 
thing, and there was no habitation in sight on any of 
the mountain slopes. A great torrent of water from 
the glaciers poured through the ravine and disap- 
peared mysteriously at the lower end, being probably 
absorbed by the earth. Great boulders, the largest I 
had ever seen, were strewn over the earth, and on the 
whole the scene was grand, desolate and yet interest- 
ing in the extreme. 

After I had been seated on the precipice for some 
time, I determined to climb down into the ravine, for 
time was passing rapidly, and I had no intention of 
spending the night in this horrible place if I could 
help it. 

I imagined that if I were in the ravine I could 
see if it were possible to climb any of the other moun- 



210 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

tains, and so find some dwelling, perhaps. So, by 
the aid of my mountain pole, I succeeded in climbing 
down the face of the precipice without accident, 
and when I once reached the bottom, I made haste to 
explore this wonderful place, which looked diabolical 
enough to have been a haunt of Satan. 

I found a great piece of a glacier at the lower end, 
and this I explored thoroughly, and I also found the 
great boulders interesting. I hadn't much heart, 
though, now, for exploring, save for the purpose of get- 
ting out of the place. I carefully examined every 
mountain about me, and decided that I might possibly 
be able to climb the lowest one of them, though it 
would be a dangerous task. It made me more weak 
than ever to think of it, and I sank down upon the 
ground, and would have cried had the situation been 
less serious. But when I had such a problem to solve, 
I knew it would be a waste of time and strength to cry. 
I was homesick, though, horribly so, and wished with 
all my heart that I were in Illinois. 

Finally, upon looking at my watch, I saw that it 
was nearing three o'clock in the afternoon, and here I 
was, still waiting to be rescued, when I knew that no 
one would be likely to come there if I remained a 
thousand years. So at last I simply made myself get 
up, and though I nearly fell from faintness, I made 




WISHED WITH ALL MV HEART THAT I WERE ]N ILLINOIS. 

—Page 210. 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 211 

myself start to climb the precipice leading to the low- 
est of the mountains. The danger of this made my 
strength return to me, and I scaled it without acci- 
dent. 

Then I had the great mountain before me, and I 
started resolutely to climb it, for I was almost sure 
that I would see a hut of some kind from the summit. 
Therefore I was encouraged to climb as hard as I was 
able, and at last, about five o'clock, I reached the 
summit. I looked joyfully about me, expecting to see 
some habitation, but imagine my despair when I saw 
instead another mountain rising just before me. I 
thought I would faint, and only saved myself by great 
effort. I sat down on the ground again and wondered 
what would become of me now. 

I was by this time beginning to feel the pangs of 
extreme hunger, and with them came despair. It 
was nearly an hour before I could gather strength 
enough to attempt this second mountain, and I 
think I should have laid there all night had I not 
had that ravine in my mind all the time, and I 
feared that some wild beast might come and attack 
me. 

At last I made the ascent, and I can scarcely remem- 
ber my feelings. My senses were so benumbed that 
I scarcely had any, and I can only remember that 



212 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

when I had reached the summit it was dark, and away in 
the distance I saw a cabin light. Then the next I knew 
I was in the tiny hut of a mountaineer, and the morning 
sun was streaming in at the window. 

As far as I could ascertain from the man, I think 
I must have reached his hut by my own efforts, 
and he had taken me in and revived me, for I had 
fainted at the door. The next morning he set me on 
my right path again, and I was perhaps none the worse 
for my adventure. 

After that, however, I was very careful not to climb 
any but the best-known mountains, and in fact I 
climbed but a few more all during my stay in the 
country, for somehow the sport had lost its zest for 
me. I had been too much frightened and too near 
starvation for me to want to try it again. 

After my adventures in the Bernese Alps, I made 
my way to the quaint old city which is the capital of 
the Swiss Republic and remained there three days. 
I was delighted with it from the first, for in addition 
to having the charming views that are a part of every 
Swiss city, it had many old historical associations that 
were an endless source of enterest to me. 

I thought during the first day that I might have been 
in some Italian city, for the buildings in Berne are 
bright colored and the streets have a very Italian 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 213 

aspect. There are numerous fruit-stands and open 
bazaars, and the people themselves were so sun- 
burned that they could have passed for natives of 
Italy. 

The city was a very gay little place, and the streets 
were filled with carriages just as in the larger capitals 
of England and France. The Parliament was in 
session at the time, and the fashionable season was 
just commencing, so that I saw Berne in all its 
beauty. 

Of course as soon as I heard that the Parliament 
was in session, I determined to have a look at it, just 
to see what it was like. I had seen the London one, 
and though I didn't expect to make comparisons, I 
wondered if the Swiss one would be as fine a body in 
proportion to its size. 

I had no difficulty in finding the modest building 
which serves as a Capitol for the Swiss Republic, and 
mounting the steps I looked about for the hall in 
which the Parliament meets. I saw a sign indicating 
the direction, and passing through several hallways I 
finally arrived at the door of the chamber. I went 
right in, never thinking that I was on the floor of the 
chamber, but supposing that it was the gallery I was 
entering. I was soon set right, though, for an official 
came up to me and explained things as well as he 



214 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

could in German. I made haste to get out, and en- 
tered the gallery, 

I was agreeably surprised at the sight I saw down 
on the floor of the chamber. There was as fine a 
body of men in session there as I had ever seen any- 
where, and the appearance of the whole was very 
creditable to the government. The only strange 
thing I noticed was that three different languages 
were used by the orators, one speaking in French, 
another in German and still another in Italian while 
I was there. 

After I had remained some time in the Parliament, 
I decided to see if I couldn't find the President of 
Switzerland somewhere in the building, and walking 
along the corridor I saw the word " Praesidunt " upon 
a door and decided that the room within must be the 
office of the head of the Republic. 

I don't know what ever put it into my head to go in 
there, but I thought it too bad to be so near a Presi- 
dent and still not see him, so I decided to go in, not- 
withstanding the fact that the word " Private " was 
on the door, in German, of course. I opened the door 
ever so little at first and looked in. There at a large 
desk near the window sat an old man, who was evi- 
dently the President of Switzerland. There was no 
one else in the room, and since I had gone so far as 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 215 

to open the door, I decided that I might as well go on 
in. 

As I walked across the floor the old man looked 
up, and I could see that he wasn't glad to see me. 
But I went right on to his desk and began to talk to 
him in English. He asked me then if I didn't speak 
German or French, and I told him that I didn't. 
" Then who are you ? " he exclaimed, in poor English ; 
"where did you come from that you can't speak 
French and German ? " I came very near laughing. 
"Why, I came from America, of course." 

The President came near jumping out of his chair, 
and from that time on he was interested in the conver- 
sation. He laid his pen away and leaned back in his 
chair, priming me with question after question about 
myself, and America, and any number of other things. 
He was very congenial and laughed heartily at some 
of my statements, so that I soon felt wholly at my 
ease with him, and could hardly believe that I was 
talking with a real President. 

The President had a very high opinion of America, 
though he wouldn't admit that it is as good a republic 
as Switzerland. He said that they never have any 
strikes or disturbances such as we have, and when I 
said that we only have them because we were such a 
) large country, he laughed. 



2i6 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

I told him that if Switzerland were as large as the 
United States she would have the same thing, and 
there we sat, a President and a Yankee boy, arguing 
about which is the greater country. It was all very 
amusing when I thought of it afterward, but at the 
time I was so much in earnest that my whole heart 
was in the argument. I really think that I came out 
ahead, though the President wouldn't agree to what I 
said. 

I think I remained there twenty or twenty-five 
minutes, and I never enjoyed myself more. I fell 
quite in love with my new friend and was sorry that 
I felt obliged to leave for France so soon. When I 
said good-bye he told me to be sure and see him when 
I came to Switzerland again. 



CHAPTER XXL 

THOUGH I had enjoyed myself so much among the 
glorious scenery of Switzerland and the Tyrolean 
Alps, I was by this time beginning to long for a 
glimpse of that beautiful France about which I had 
read so much. I was beginning to tire of the chill 
nights in the mountains, and to wish for a gleam of 
fresh warm sunshine, which I hoped to find in La Belle 
France. 

All my life I had read in books of travel, in novels 
and in histories of the glories of the land of Napo- 
leon, and I had come to look upon it as a veritable 
paradise, with charming scenery, a delightful climate, 
and people that were everything to be desired. 

In fact, I had looked forward to seeing France with 
greater anticipation than to visiting any other coun- 
try in Europe, so it was with happy heart that I set 
out on my journey towards the frontier of the great 
republic. 

I would have ridden had I been able to afford it, for 
I thought I couldn't reach Paris too soon, but by this 



218 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

time my stock of money had run so low that I was 
seriously concerned about what I was to do. My 
stay in Switzerland had cost me more than any other 
trip, and I had been unable to make any money while 
there., 

I had still a very few dollars left, enough, per- 
haps, to allow me to reach Paris all right, but what I 
would do when I did reach the gay metropolis I didn't 
know I tried to believe that all would be right, and 
that I shouldn't cross any bridges until I came to them, 
but somehow I would worry, and I would half starve 
myself to save what little I had. That was my na- 
ture, and it was a good thing it was, for it doesn't do to 
be too happy-go-lucky in a strange land. 

I looked forward to my long journey through the 
provinces of Eastern France with mingled pleasure 
and dislike. I knew that I would enjoy myself if I 
had enough money to live comfortably upon, but if I 
had to starve myself I wondered if it wouldn't be 
better economy to take a train to Paris direct, and 
thus save a week or more of anxious suspense. When 
I reached the Capital I hoped to find some letters await- 
ing me from the papers in London and at home, for I 
had sent articles to both and expected a remittance 
in return. If I didn't find any money awaiting me, — 
well, I didn't know what I would do. 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 219 

My first glimpse of the beautiful country that I 
had imagined I would see was really funny in a way. 
I had arrived in the first town within the border one 
clear October night, and was happy to think that I 
had at last arrived in France. To-morrow I expected 
to see the beautiful hills and the warm, delightful sun- 
shine, and I would walk, oh, so many miles and be 
much nearer Paris at night than in the morning. So 
I made my cup of coffee and ate my bread and cheese, 
and went to sleep to dream of La Belle France. 

When I awoke early the next morning I looked out 
of my window and saw that a drizzling rain was com- 
ing down, cold and dreary and disheartening. I think 
I could almost have cried at the sight of it, for it was 
a terrible disappointment. The idea of a cold, dreary 
rain, and a chill wind, too, in the glorious country of 
France. It was enough to discourage one. I deter- 
mined, though, not to let the weather keep me from 
proceeding on my way. I had fortunately brought 
my overcoat along, and my knapsack was waterproof, 
so I thought that the rain could harm nothing but 
my feelings, and they had already become proof 
against most anything. 

So, shouldering my knapsack, and carrying my 
mountain-pole, for I was determined not to lose it, I 
set out,- and tramped along the muddy, miry road for 



220 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

hours, saying bad things about France in general and 
Eastern France in particular. 

I hadn't yet seen much of the people, for it was dark 
when I reached the village the night before, and it 
had been too early for them to be up when I left. I 
was not long kept in ignorance of them, however, 
for while trudging along disconsolately I saw three 
figures of some kind ahead of me on the road. At 
first I could hardly decide if they were cattle or men, 
for they had no shape at all, and moved along in 
the rollicking, lazy way so popular with cows. I soon 
saw, however, that they were men, though I decided 
at once that they were poor specimens. They really 
looked more like wild beasts than human beings, and 
I have never seen such creatures anywhere else on 
earth. They were clothed in great bloomers of some 
kind, and wore a flowing jacket of calico, which made 
them look like windmills in the breeze. 

I wasn't long in catching up with them, and the 
nearer I came to them the more disgusting they were. 
They were almost deformed, and entirely unshaven, 
so that they looked like dressed-up monkeys. In- 
deed, I could compare them to most any beast and 
not miss them far. They were talking in a gruff, 
growling tone that really frightened me as I passed, 
and I knew enough French to understand that they 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 221 

were swearing at every other word. " So these," I 
said to myself, thoroughly disgusted, " are the brave 
'Sieurs'of France about which I hear so much;" 
and I was angry enough to hate France, and French- 
men, too, forevermore. I knew, of course, that these 
men were not in the majority in France, but it was 
enough that there should be any of them at all. 

Having seen the men of France, I waited to see the 
women, and in the next village my curiosity was grati- 
fied. I was much better pleased with them than with 
the men, for they were better all around. Most of 
them, to be sure, were far from being the fairy ideals 
I had built up in my imagination, for I, like many 
people, had a mistaken idea that every French woman 
wore her hair pompadour, powdered and painted, and 
lifted her dress almost to her knees in crossing a street. 
I also supposed that they continually smiled and 
looked pretty, so it was little wonder that I was dis- 
appointed at first. 

But I was agreeably disappointed, for, instead of 
finding the women all fashion-plates, I found that 
most of them were energetic and courageous, and 
that many of them were busy supporting their worth- 
less husbands, who spent most of their time in sip- 
ping wine. My heart went out to these women right 
away, and I found a new grievance against French- 



222 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

men. It was no uncommon sight to see the poor little 
women, everyone of them pretty and refined, taking in 
washing, and, perhaps, keeping a small shop at the same 
time. They reminded me very much of the women in 
Brussels, only they worked much harder, and did it 
more cheerfully, too. 

I used to wonder why they allowed their husbands 
to act that way, but I suppose they have been used 
to it for centuries. In the olden times their lords and 
masters probably went off to war under the banner of 
some petty king, leaving their wives and families to 
get along as best they could, and now that there is no 
war they continue to go, but to the caf£s instead 
of the wars. 

I had many and varied adventures during this dis- 
heartening pedestrian pilgrimage to Paris. I found 
the people inclined to be rather austere and unpleas- 
ant, especially as I was foolish enough to try and be a 
German. I didn't think of the hatred borne the Ger- 
mans by the French, but after I had been shut out of 
houses a few times, I decided that I had better pre- 
tend to be an Englishman, since it would be safer, 
though more expensive in a way. 

But even when I told them I was English they 
often treated me with disdain and refused to take me 
into their houses. One night I was turned away from 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 223 

door after door, and since there was none but an ex- 
pensive hotel in the place, I was obliged to sleep 
under a tree all night, for I was economizing as much 
as I possibly could. 

The next morning I had a very bad cold, which grew 
worse as I went along, until, at last, I was seriously 
alarmed about the condition of my lungs. But I still 
plodded along toward Paris day by day, when I really 
should have been in bed, with medical attention. 

But, though I passed several sleepless nights, I 
finally grew better, and I was thankful, more thankful 
than I could tell, that I did. During those dark, 
wretched days I had realized to the full the position 
I was in, and I knew what would be likely to happen 
had I been taken seriously ill in the sparsely (com- 
paratively) populated districts of Eastern France. 

And I realized then as I never had before what a 
venture I had set out upon when I left New York that 
day in early June, and though I wasn't yet sure that 
all would come out safely, I was thankful for the suc- 
cess that had attended me so far on my journeys. I 
looked back and saw what might have happened, and 
then what did happen, and found that I had been very, 
very fortunate. 

By this time I had fully determined to try and be 
in Mattoon for Christmas. I was beginning to feel the 



224 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

effects of the numerous hardships through which I had 
passed, and felt that I would have seen enough when 
that time came. I had already accomplished a very 
great deal of all that I had set out to do, and could 
return home satisfied that I had vindicated my ability 
to do what I said I would do, and doubtless my trip 
would benefit me in more ways than one upon my safe 
arrival in New York. 

Before a week had passed I was more anxious than 
I can tell to see the towers of Paris, but there still 
remained many miles for me to traverse. I had not 
thought how far it would be, for, instead of taking me 
one week, it took me two, and I would have been even 
longer had I not ridden for nearly a hundred miles. 

I became so very tired and discouraged one day that 
I succumbed to a desire to ride in the train for once, so 
that I could have a change and a rest. I knew that I 
could ill afford the extravagance, but I was reckless 
then, and when I found that I could ride nearly a 
hundred miles in an " omnibus train" for little more 
than fifty cents, I decided to do it. 

I didn't know what an omnibus train was like or I 
might have preferred walking, but I soon discovered 
its peculiar qualities. I found that it was a train 
carrying many cattle and some men, of the sort 
that I described a while ago as much resembling cows. 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 225 

And of the two sets of passengers, I think I would 
have vastly preferred to have been in with the real 
cattle, for they didn't swear all the time, and get 
drunk and throw things all over the car. And that 
was what the human cattle did, so that I was thankful 
when my hundred miles was up. 

I still had a good many miles to walk to Paris, but 
in about three days I arrived at Fontainebleau, with 
the city a few miles farther on. 



CHAPTER XXII. 

The month of October was more than half gone 
when I arrived in Paris, the city to which I had looked 
forward with such pleasant anticipations. The trees 
on the grand boulevards were beginning to shed 
their leaves, and light jackets were worn on the 
promenades. 

And yet, though the season in London was dead at 
this time, the gay French Capital was just beginning 
to wake up from its long summer rest, and to put on 
the air of frivolity that every one expects to see. Un- 
doubtedly I had come to Paris at a very good time to 
see her in all her gayety and light-heartedness, for the 
boulevards were filled all day, and all night, for that 
matter, with a thoughtless, joyful throng of pleasure- 
seekers. 

My first impressions of Paris were very favorable 
ones. I had expected to see a great, busy city, with 
everything beautiful, and seemingly it was all so. I 
had expected to see many beautiful buildings, and I 
had found more than I had hoped to find. So I was 
very happy during the first few days, and I was in 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 227 

danger of becoming as ardent a slave of the city's 
beauty as are most Americans in Europe. 

When I arrived I expected to spend at least a month 
in the city, if I found it possible, and with that end in 
view I searched diligently for a cheap lodging. But 
though I went from the Op6ra to the Luxembourg, 
and from the Lyons depot to the Arc de Triomphe, I 
didn't succeed in finding any room cheaper than sev- 
enty-five cents a week, and I finally took one in the 
Op6ra district at that price. 

I then prepared to do light housekeeping during my 
stay, and fixed myself very comfortably in my tiny 
room in the sixth story of a lodging-house. I went 
out to one of the open bazaars and bought a little 
skillet, upon which I cooked eggs, and on one mem- 
orable occasion a piece of horse-flesh. My coffee-pot 
was of course with me, and I had some coffee left 
from the pound I bought in Cologne. So on the 
whole I thought I would be able to live very cheaply, 
though not within my limit of twenty-five cents a day. 

By this time I was almost entirely without money. 
I had still a five-franc piece in my pocket, but that was 
little more than enough to pay my room rent for the 
week, and I must have something to buy my food 
with. I was worrying about the state of affairs during 
my first day in the city, when I all at once bethought 



228 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

me of my mail, and I hurried over to the express of- 
fice which was my address in Paris. I fully expected 
a check from either the papers at home or the one in 
London, and it was with an air of great confidence 
that I entered the office. I was overjoyed when the 
clerk handed me three letters, one from home and two 
from London. I hastened into the reading-room to 
open them, and I tore the one from home open eagerly. 
I felt quite sure it was from New York, and I must 
confess I was disappointed to find that it was from 
mother, though it was of course welcome. 

Being disappointed in the first, I opened the second 
with fear and trembling, for I was afraid that it might 
not contain a check either, though I saw by the enve- 
lope that it was from the London paper. My fears 
were not groundless, for I read that they hadn't been 
able to print the article I had sent owing to unavoid- 
able circumstances. 

I let the paper drop from my hands on to the floor, 
and I leaned back in the cushioned chair. I was in 
despair, for where was I to get my next meal from or 
how was I to get back to London, if I went back at 
all. It was a terrible situation for a sixteen-year-old 
boy to find himself in, and it was little wonder that I 
sat there with my eyes closed, trying to find a way 
out of the difficulty. 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 229 

At last I jumped up, determined to make a way of 
some kind and remembering my determination to per- 
severe at any cost. I tore open my other London let- 
ter and found it to be from the old lady at the inn. 
She had thought that I might need a word of comfort, 
so she had just sat down and written me this letter, 
she said, and nothing in the world could have been 
greater comfort to me than her little note, in which 
she said that I would surely succeed if I kept on as I 
had started out in London. 

I went back again to my little room to think of ways 
and means to make some money. I decided to first 
call on the American consul and see if he had anything 
for me at the consulate, so that afternoon I went to 
see Mr. Gowdy, who I found to be a typical westerner, 
and as good and kind as he could be. I told him that 
I would like something to do at the consulate, but he 
said that he was sorry but he had nothing at all that 
I could do. I didn't tell him that I had but one franc 
in my pocket, and that I didn't know where to get 
my next meal, for I was yet proud and didn't want 
to compel him to help me. 

I went out into the street again and up to the em- 
bassy, where I saw General Horace Porter. He, too, 
had nothing for me, and as I didn't tell him about my 
extreme poverty, he didn't offer to find me anything. 



230 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

By the time I had visited the embassy and the con- 
sulate, night had come, and I was obliged to go back 
again to my little room. I made a cup of coffee and 
ate a roll, and then went to bed. I slept soundly, for 
boys will sleep under all circumstances. 

When I awoke in the morning I took another cup 
of coffee and another roll and went out into the Ave- 
nue de l'Opera to see some American firms whose 
stores I had noticed there the day before. I first 
visited a stationery store, but found that they didn't 
need any help, and then I went into an American 
jewelry store. To my great joy they told me that 
they thought they could use me for a few days, any- 
how, because the boy they usually had was ill, and 
they needed one who could speak English. 

So at last I had found a chance to earn a little 
something, and I hurried back to my room overjoyed. 
I was to go to work the next morning, and that after- 
noon I took that franc of mine and bought a piece 
of what I thought was beef, and some bread and pota- 
toes, so that for one day at least I was in Paris with- 
out a cent. I cooked and ate my meat, which I soon 
saw was horseflesh, and my potatoes, and I had a 
better meal than I had enjoyed for many a day. To 
be sure, I hadn't a cent to buy any more, but on the 
morrow I would go to work in the jewelry store and 
earn enough to pay my expenses, anyhow. 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 231 

The next day I started in, and I proved satisfactory 
to the employers. They decided to keep me three 
weeks, until the other boy was better, and as three 
weeks was as long as I cared to stay in Paris if I was 
to sail for home in December, I was well satisfied with 
this arrangement. 

My financial difficulties being settled for the time, I 
set about to thoroughly see Paris. Early in the morn- 
ings, at lunch time, and in the evening I went around 
from place to place, until, when I finally left the city, I 
felt that I knew pretty much everything there was to 
know. 

I visited all the great art galleries time and again, for 
I could easily run over to the Louvre and the Luxem- 
bourg at lunch time and spend a few minutes with 
the great masters. Then at night I would go up and 
down the brilliant boulevard, revelling in the light, 
the gayety, and the music, and admiring the beautiful 
costumes of the women. The men I passed by with a 
sneer, for Parisian Frenchmen I found to be quite as 
bad in their way as the provincial ones, small, wrin- 
kled, and blase. 

I soon learned things that took away a great deal of 
my love for the city on the Seine. I saw the misery 
existing in the narrow back streets off the boulevards, 
and I -saw the poor students of the Latin quarter. 



232 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

And the sight of their sufferings took away the gla- 
mor from the beauties of the boulevards, and I saw- 
that there are two sides to Parisian life. 

I went one night to hear the opera, and also to see 
the world-famous opera-house. Both were superb, 
though I thought that the opera itself wasn't so good 
as what we have in Chicago every winter. The theater, 
however, is certainly without a peer for elegance and 
sumptuous decoration. I was wonderfully impressed 
with it in every respect, and wished many times that 
I could afford to go more than once, if only to see the 
theater. 

It was a very fashionable n-ight when I did go, and 
the boxes were one mass of scintillating beauty, beau- 
tiful women, beautiful gems, and lovely gowns. It 
was a sight not soon to be forgotten, for I had never 
seen anything like it before in my life, and I don't 
know that I ever will again. I had a very good 
seat for thirty-five cents or thereabouts, and I 
wished that we could hear opera in America for the 
same price. I would want it to be better opera, 
though. 

I soon found that Paris is quite the most expensive 
city in the world in which to live. It is not the rents 
that are so high, but food. The reason for this seems 
to be that every particle of produce coming into the 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 233 

city is taxed, and naturally the price, ordinarily high, 
is much increased. But this is only one of the reasons 
why Paris cannot be properly enjoyed except by peo- 
ple with wealth. 

Doubtless it was my own poverty that prevented 
me from falling in love with the city as most tourists 
do, for an empty stomach is never a cheerful affair, 
and especially not when those about you are having a 
delightful time. 

But every one in Paris doesn't have a good time, as 
I think I said before. There are more beggars there 
than in any of the larger cities I visited, save Ant- 
werp. They were everywhere, eyen at the doors of 
the churches. Indeed, they frequent the churches 
more than any other place, and I was often so dis- 
gusted that I refused to enter them. They used to 
stand in line, up and down the steps, holding out their 
hats for alms. 

Even at the door of grand old Notre Dame they 
begged, and if a person didn't give them just as much 
as they expected, they would mutter curses on his 
head. You may be sure that I had plenty of them 
muttered for me, because I never gave any of them a 
centime, principally because I didn't have it to give. 

I found great delight in hunting up the historical 
places in the city, and as it simply teems with them, I 



234 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

was kept busy in the evenings and mornings. But 
it was worth a great deal of hardship to see the places 
where Napoleon and the various Louis's had lived, 
and died, and plotted, and finally been dethroned or 
guillotined. 



CHAPTER XXIII. 

At the end of my three weeks I left the jewelry 
store and prepared to return again to London. I 
had already seen most everything that I cared to see 
in Paris, and as November had arrived, and the 
weather was becoming uncomfortably cool, I thought 
it better that I should be back in London, where there 
was much that I wanted to do before sailing for 
America. 

Before I left gay Paris, however, my tremendous 
appetite for interviews again asserted itself. It was 
about this time that President Faure returned from 
his visit to the Czar of Russia, or rather he had re- 
turned some time before, and the papers were still 
filled with stories of his journey. 

He seemed to me a most remarkable man, and since 
I knew that he was being talked about all over the 
world, he was decidedly a man worth interviewing. 
And he was exceedingly popular in Paris at this time. 
He never appeared in public without being enthu- 
siastically received by the excitable Frenchmen. 
His carriage was always followed by great crowds, 



236 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

and cheer after cheer went up. I had never seen any- 
thing like it. I had read about the great receptions 
that were given Napoleon and the old French kings, 
but I never expected to see the same thing in the 
modern and up-to-date Republican government. 

The President lives in the Palace of the Elys£e, 
which was for some time the favorite residence of the 
great Napoleon. It is a superb structure, in the very 
heart of Paris, and surrounded by a great wall that is 
perfectly impassable. There is but one entrance, and 
soldiers guard it day and night, in addition to patrol- 
ling up and down the street without the gates. 

I wasn't very glad to see so many soldiers about 
when I went one day to see how the ground lay. I 
knew that with them there I would be likely to have 
some difficulty in getting in to see M. Faure. As 
usual, though, I determined to try, anyhow. 

The first thing I did was to write him a letter. I 
knew he could read and speak English, and thought 
perhaps that would be the best way to reach him. I 
made it very strong and persuasive, and I flattered him 
a great deal, knowing that it is dear to the French 
heart. And after I had mailed my letter I waited for 
an answer, but though I waited in great anxiety for 
three days, all the time that I could spare, I received 
no word from the £lys£e. 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 237 

It was evident that I would have to find some other 
plan of seeing him, and naturally the first thing that 
suggested itself to my mind was to go to the palace 
and try to walk right in. The foolishness of this, 
however, was soon made apparent to me. I went to 
the palace, and I attempted to walk right in, but the 
soldiers wouldn't let me pass without knowing my 
business, and I knew if I told them what I wanted I 
would never get in at all. So I was compelled to 
think of still another plan. For a day or two I 
found it impossible to conceive any other way of 
entering, and I came very near giving up in despair 
and leaving Paris without having seen M. Faure 
at all. 

But I kept on thinking, and finally I one day 
evolved a monstrous scheme. It most took my 
breath away at first, but the more I thought it over, 
the more feasible it appeared to me. 

This was the plan ; — could it have been more bold? 
First of all I would go to a clothing store and rent a 
dress suit for one day. I knew of a place where I 
could do this for a very small sum. Then I would go 
and get a cab and drive up to the palace in style. 
Once arrived, I would send in a card, and upon the 
card I would put the name of some fictitious German 
nobleman, so that M. Faure would be sure to see me. 



238 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

The cab and dress suit would overawe the guardsmen 
at the gate, I thought, and the card would gain me 
admittance to the palace itself. 

I didn't stop to think what the possible consequences 
of such a thing might be, or I would never have carried 
it out, but I went right on with all the enthusiasm of 
Yankee boyhood, and was happy in the belief that I 
was playing a good trick upon those horrid soldiers 
at the gates. 

It was a Monday that I selected for the day to put 
the plan into execution. I had no difficulty in pro- 
curing the suit, and I also borrowed a tall hat, for I 
wanted to look as old as possible. My only fear was 
that they might think me too young to be paying 
calls on my own account. 

I put the things on in my tiny room, and then sent 
the janitor out to get me the best-looking cab he 
could find in the Place de l'Opera. I looked at my- 
self in my mirror and decided that I made a very 
good-looking nobleman, notwithstanding the red hair, 
which I imagined detracted from my appearance. 
The cab was soon at the door, and I jumped in, shut 
myself up tight, and ordered the man to drive me to 
the palace. " And drive right in when you reach the 
gate," I said, for I didn't want any trouble with the 
soldiers. 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 239 

We were not long in arriving at the gilded gates of 
the palace, and as the driver went rapidly into the 
courtyard, the soldiers raised their hands in salute. 
They must have been expecting some grandee, and 
imagined that I was him. I was willing to take his 
place, anyhow. 

I alighted at the carpeted steps of the main en- 
trance and mounted them with considerable awkward- 
ness, for my position was an uncomfortable one just 
then. By the time I had reached the top, however, I 
had partially recovered my equilibrium, and I waved 
the cabman away with satisfactory grace. Of course 
I had paid him beforehand or I wouldn't have dared 
to dismiss him. 

When I opened the door I found several servants 
waiting in the hall, and they all bowed low. I gave 
my counterfeit card to the first one I saw, telling him 
in French that it was for the President. He immedi- 
ately withdrew, and was only a few minutes in return- 
ing, when he murmured a lot of unintelligible stuff 
that I couldn't understand at all. 

I was afraid that he was going to take me at once 
into the presence of the executive, and I was fright- 
ened at the prospect. I wanted some time to collect 
my thoughts before encountering that dignitary. But 
I folio-wed him, nevertheless, and to my great relief he 



240 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

showed me into a magnificent apartment where I was 
quite alone. It was a beautiful room, and I could 
think of nothing but the surroundings during all the 
time I was there alone. 

The President himself was not long in coming, and 
I knew him as soon as he entered the room, for his 
pictures are much like him. He is a very handsome 
man, with a distinguished appearance, and I was a bit 
awed in his presence. I kept my self-possession, 
though, and was feeling quite comfortable when he 
began to speak. 

His very first words sent a chill over me, and I'm 
quite sure I trembled. They weren't terrible in their 
meaning, I suppose, but alas, they were German. Of 
course I couldn't understand them, and was wondering 
to myself why he spoke German to me, when I re- 
membered all at once that I was a German nobleman, 
and would naturally be expected to speak my native 
tongue. I hadn't thought of any such contingency 
as this before my arrival at the palace, and now 
that I realized my position I wished myself at the 
North Pole, or anywhere away from Paris. It was 
terrible, and there was no way out of it all but to tell 
everything. 

While all these thoughts were passing through my 
mind, and I was growing hot and cold by turns, the 







HIS VERY FIRST WORDS SENT A CHILL OVER ME. 

—Page 240. 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 241 

President of France stood looking at me. He was 
wondering why I didn't reply to his greeting, and I 
thought from his face that he probably suspicioned 
something. 

Then I hesitated no longer, but came right out in 
plain English and told him the story of my ambition 
to talk with him, how I had been unable to gain ad- 
mittance at the gate, and how I had foolishly decided 
to call under a false name. I told him all my story, 
and I was so truly penitent that I came very near 
crying. I was afraid, too, that he might decide to do 
something awful to me for punishment, and when I 
had finished my recital I eagerly scanned his face to 
see how he had received it. 

To my boundless surprise and relief, he burst out 
laughing, and in good English congratulated me upon 
my enterprise. " I don't blame you much," he said, 
" and for my part I'm glad that you did get in." 

Then I felt more at my ease, and, taking a seat, I 
managed to get through the rest of the audience very 
creditably. The President talked on many things, 
and particularly on America. He asked me many 
questions, and I must have answered them in a way 
that was pleasing to him, for he remarked that Yankee 
boys seemed to be well informed on general affairs. 

He -was more interested in my trip than anything 



242 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

else I told him, and thought the whole thing very 
remarkable. " I don't see what ever put it into your 
head," he said, just as any number of other people 
had said before him, and when I replied that I didn't 
know myself what put it there, he laughed heartily. 
" Well, American boys seem to get along some way," 
he said ; " if there isn't a way, they make one." I 
thought it a very pretty compliment for all American 
boys, coming from so high a source. 

M. Faure told me something of his boyhood and 
the story of his wonderful career. He told me how 
he had been a tanner-boy in Havre, working for wages 
that were barely sufficient for his support. Then he 
related how he had at last, through earnest endeavor, 
become a member of the firm, and finally sole pro- 
prietor. He educated himself by night study, and 
has always been an indefatigable student at all things. 
He speaks most modern languages, and is a very fine 
scholar all around. It was a wonderful story, and I 
thanked him for allowing me to hear it. It isn't often 
that a tanner-boy becomes the President of France, 
and such a good President as M. Faure has been. 

I remained with him about twenty minutes, and 
perhaps I shouldn't have taken my departure then 
had not the footman announced a visitor for the Presi- 
dent. It was that which hastened my departure, and 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 243 

I was obliged to say good-bye rather hurriedly. The 
President laughed again at my adventure, asked me 
to call when in Paris, and wished me all possible suc- 
cess. 

When I reached the courtyard I took the liberty of 
asking the use of one of the carriages there, for of 
course my cab was gone. It was freely given me, and 
I was driven to the Place de TOp£ra in a royal equip- 
age. I didn't dare go to my lodgings, for fear the 
landlady would raise my rent when she witnessed my 
arrival in such style. 



CHAPTER XXIV. 

My interview with President Faure practically 
closed the series of wonderful adventures which had 
overtaken me in Paris, and I joyfully made prep- 
arations to leave for London. I had seen quite 
enough, I thought, of the wonders of Paris, and I 
knew I had seen enough of the Parisians themselves. 
I liked them less each day I remained in the city, until 
finally I was thoroughly disgusted with them all. 
Had I been rich I would have liked them better, but 
as it was, I was besieged for tips on every side when I 
had none to give. The tip system made me' dislike 
Paris more than any other one thing, I think, for I 
simply wouldn't give them, and in consequence I was 
never served as are those who go around with their 
pockets full of change. I had determined not to give 
a tip in Europe, and I didn't. 

I planned a very interesting trip on my way back to 
London. I would walk to Dieppe, on the Channel 
coast, through the grand old province of Brittany, 
where the cities are surrounded by walls, and where the 
people still wear the costumes of their grandfathers. 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 245 

It was not such a very long trip, and as the weather 
was decidedly pleasant for November, I thought I 
would enjoy it very much. It would, of course, be eco- 
nomical, and that was something to be thought of. 
My stay in the gay capital city had eaten up nearly all 
I earned in the jewelry store, and as far as I could see 
I was very likely to arrive in London with little more 
than a shilling or two. 

My tramp through Brittany was delightfully inter- 
esting. I did enjoy seeing the quaint costumes of the 
natives and exploring the byways of the quaint little 
villages I came to. The weather continued pleasant, 
and the air was cool and refreshing, so that I didn't 
mind walking. In Rouen I remained two whole days, 
and enjoyed that city as I had enjoyed no other in 
France. I wished that I had given myself more time 
to reach London, so that I might have remained in the 
charming old place some time. 

At last I reached Dieppe, whence the boats leave for 
Newhaven, and at midnight I went aboard a long, 
side-wheel vessel, and felt that my continental experi- 
ences were over with. What a time I had been hav- 
ing, and how glad I was to be going back again to 
London, and then home, perhaps. 

The vessel left the French shore about midnight, and 
I immediately became sea-sick, for the Channel was very 



246 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

rough indeed. I lay on the deck that whole night long 
not caring whether we ever reached England or not. 
I soon found that Channel sea-sickness is much worse 
than the oceanic variety, and I suffered much more 
while it lasted. I was thankful that I was on a fast 
boat and that we would arrive at Newhaven at dawn. 

When at last we did arrive in England, I determined 
to take a train to London, for I wasn't well at all and 
wanted to arrive as soon as possible. It was only a 
little more than an hour's ride, anyhow, and the fare 
was very low. At eight o'clock in the morning, then, 
the train pulled into Victoria Station in London, and I 
was back again in England, the land I had long since 
decided I loved better than any other in Europe. 

For some time I had been debating in my mind 
what I had better do upon my arrival in the metro- 
polis, and now that I stood outside Victoria Station 
I hadn't decided about it. I didn't know whether it 
would be best to go back to the little inn, where I 
had been treated kindly, or whether to rent a 
lodging and depend upon my newspaper articles for a 
living. I had an idea that I would be able to make 
quite a little money by writing, now that I had so 
much new material for articles, and if I did make a 
success of my literary work, I wouldn't have time to 
do all the chores at the inn. So it was that I deter- 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 247 

mined to rent a modest lodging and depend upon my 
ability as a journalist for a living. It would be rather 
precarious, I had no doubt, but still I would be inde- 
pendent. 

I was a different boy entirely in London from what I 
was in Paris. I had confidence in myself so long as I 
was where I could make myself 'understood, and not 
be cheated and imposed upon. Still, London was so 
very great and strange that I sometimes felt very small 
and weak in the midst of all its traffic, and a terrible 
fear would come over me that after all I might not be 
able to " get along." 

I didn't know whether I was still the little adventurer 
who had arrived in London months before, or whether 
I was by this time great and capable of making some 
money. Would the editors buy what I wrote or not? 
Would they think that my continental adventures 
were marvelous, or would they call them common- 
place and uninteresting and let them go ? So much 
depended upon the editors that I was really afraid to 
go and see them. 

I was not long in finding out how they would look 
upon me. I took some manuscript around to the 
offices in Fleet Street and found to my great delight 
that the editors readily accepted it, and were willing 
to pay -me well for it, too. " You're a very plucky 



248 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

fellow," they would say, " and we are glad to encour- 
age you in any way we can." And I really believe 
they took my articles as much through kindness as 
anything else, though they said my adventures on the 
continent were wonderful. 

I used to write about my interviews with potentates 
and monarchs, and my adventures of every kind. In 
a very short time I began to be talked about in Lon- 
don. People wondered who this "Yankee boy" could 
be, and I liked to think that they looked regularly for 
my articles in the " Westminster Gazette " and other 
papers. 

And after a while the editors began to want some- 
thing else besides stories of my adventures abroad, 
and I then began to write my impressions of London 
and the English. I criticized British boys in particular, 
and I made the articles so strong that letters arrived 
at the office asking the editor what he meant by print- 
ing such articles. But he only asked me for more, 
and I was willing to write as many as he wanted. 

I said that British boys were not ambitious, and 
that if they were born lords and baronets all well and 
good, but if they were born fishmongers, why they 
were just as contented as though they were lords. I 
said, too, that they were content to remain in school 
too long, when they really ought to be out and earn- 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 249 

ing a living. And English mothers wrote letters to 
the editor, wondering who this boy was who dared to 
give them advice about bringing up their children. 
But the editor only asked me to write something else 
in the same strain, and I kept it up till I left London. 

So, after all, I did " get along." I had no difficulty 
in paying my room and board, and laid up enough 
money to pay my fare back to New York when the 
time came for me to go. I was getting along better 
than I had ever expected I would in London, and 
these days were happy ones for me. The prospect 
of spending Christmas at home made the whole future 
one bright period of happiness to me, for, after all my 
adventures and hardships, I had nothing but pleasure 
to look forward to. 

There were still some things that I hadn't done in 
London. For instance, I hadn't called upon the Lord 
Mayor, and I had certainly intended to do that. I 
had heard about him and read about him as long as I 
could possibly remember, and I had him in my mind 
continually during my stay in London, yet I hadn't 
mustered up courage enough to call and see him. 

I imagined that he must be a terrible man, for I 
knew he wore a fur robe and was King of London. I 
had heard that even the Queen couldn't enter the city 
without he handed her a sword. And then Dick 



250 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

Whittington had once been Lord Mayor, and he was 
certainly a great and wonderful man. And there had 
been so many other great persons connected with the 
office that I was really afraid to venture up to the 
grand old Mansion House. 

That building always had an effect on me much the 
same as a haunted house would have. It was so big 
and so old. Great stone pillars lined its front, the 
windows were long and deep, and the whole structure 
was dark with age. I never saw any one enter it, 
either, though it stands in the most crowded square of 
London, and probably of all the world. I came very 
near going in on several occasions, but each time I 
changed my mind and decided to wait until another 
day. 

Finally I determined to wait no longer, and walking 
boldly up the broad steps, to the astonishment of the 
people in the street, I opened the door and walked in. 
I found a great hall before me and a door marked 
with the Lord Mayor's name. I opened this and 
found myself in an ante-room. An officer came up to 
me, and I asked to see the secretary to his Lordship, 
telling him that it was very important. The secretary 
came out in a very few moments, and when he heard 
who I was he laughed, and said that he was quite 
sure that the Lord Mayor would see me. He left me 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 251 

to ask him, and then brought back a favorable answer. 
" Come right away," he said, " for his Lordship has to 
go into court at ten o'clock, and there is only a short 
time left." 

So I hurried into the Lord Mayor's office. He was 
wholly up to my expectations. He wore a long vel- 
vet robe, with numerous ornaments, and looked very 
austere indeed. When he spoke, though, I saw that 
he was a very pleasant man, and I felt at my ease im- 
mediately. He asked me to sit down, which I did, 
and we then talked for several minutes, I telling him 
about myself and my adventures and he telling me 
about his duties as Lord Mayor. It was a delightful 
time for me, and I enjoyed the conversation more 
than I can tell, for his Lordship was as boyish as he 
could be. 

I asked him to allow me to see around the Mansion 
House, and he willingly consented. It was then time 
for him to enter the court room, where he presides al- 
most every day, and I was just starting off with the 
footman when he sent after me. " The Lord Mayor 
says that you can come into the court when you have 
seen the Mansion," said the messenger. I could hardly 
believe my ears, for I knew what an honor it would be 
to sit with the Lord Mayor in court. 

It didn't take us long to go over the Mansion, and I 



252 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

was soon seated beside London's chief magistrate on 
the Bench. It was a proud moment for me, and I 
had a splendid time. Below me was the court, with 
the lawyers wearing wigs and the box full of prison- 
ers. Beside me was the Lord Mayor of London, and 
I the only person with him on the Bench. The law- 
yers stared, and the prisoners stared, and I stared back 
at them. . I think I was the proudest boy in London 
that day. 




BESIDE ME WAS THE LORD MAYOR OF LONDON. 
—Page 25%. 



CHAPTER XXV. 

I WAS almost ready to leave London when that 
time-honored exhibition called the " Lord Mayor's 
Show " took place, and I was very glad that I hadn't 
left before, for the " show " was certainly something 
that I wouldn't have liked to miss. Not that it could 
compare in any way with the circus parades our town 
enjoys every other year, for they are far superior to 
the Lord Mayor's Show in many ways, but it was so 
very strange, happening, as it did, in the very heart of 
modern, busy London. Nothing like it can be seen 
anywhere else on earth, and it is probable that it won't 
be seen in London much longer, for many people are 
heartily tired of it, or so they say. Other inhabitants 
of the metropolis, however, insist that it must never 
be done away with, for the reason that it is the most 
time-honored affair that the city can boast of, and if it 
goes London will have but little to remind her of the 
days gone by. 

The celebration is the particular property of the 
coster-folk, who probably enjoy themselves more on 
Lord Mayor's Day than on any other day in the year, 



254 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

and it is related that when one Lord Mayor was bold 
enough to discard the usual parade, these folk threw 
stones into his carriage, so that the next Mayor was 
glad enough to give the people their annual circus 
show. 

On this Lord Mayor's Day the folks from the East 
End were early on the streets, having a good time in 
every imaginable way, often to the great disgust of 
some fat Briton going to his office in the banking dis- 
trict. There is very little business done on this day, 
however, for the leading business streets are traversed 
by the procession, and of course the thoroughfares are 
impassable on account of the crowd. 

The 'arrys and Elizas were carrying on at a great 
rate when I arrived at the Guildhall about ten o'clock, 
and it was as much as one's life was worth to get in 
the crowd about the starting place. The costers were 
jostling each other, throwing confetti or bits of 
colored paper, and making every one around as uncom- 
fortable as possible. They immediately took notice 
of my hair, and from that time on I was the butt of 
many of their stale English jokes, all of which I took 
good-naturedly. It wouldn't have been any use to 
take them otherwise, for every one was good-natured, 
and only having as good a time as they knew how. 

I had a long wait for the procession, but when it ap- 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 255 

peared I decided that it was worth waiting for. I 
laughed outright when I saw the fat footmen behind 
the queer old gilded carriages. They were dressed in 
wigs and knickerbockers, and looked as though they 
had stepped out from some of the old pictures in the 
National Gallery. The carriages were marvels, being 
great masses of silver and gilt, and drawn by team 
after team of handsome horses. They were the same 
ones which have been in use for almost centuries, and 
I almost imagined myself living in the time of Queen 
Elizabeth. There were a great many coaches, and a 
few floats on which were soldiers and marines. There 
was also a troop of the guards, which called forth 
more enthusiasm than any other feature of the par- 
ade. 

On the whole, I thought the procession a silly thing, 
which was certainly vastly amusing to the children 
but of little interest to grown people. It was inter- 
esting to me because I had never seen it before, and 
now that I have seen it, I don't think I would care to 
see it again. It was very short, and after it had 
passed, the people from the East End turned in to 
have a general good time. The rest of London went 
back to work, as though nothing extraordinary had 
happened. They do take their holidays so quietly ; I 
never could understand it. 



256 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

The coster-folk went to Hempstead Heath, of 
course, though the air was damp and inclined to be 
foggy. There they jumped the rope, ate ice cream, 
and raced all over the common. They enjoyed them- 
selves thoroughly, and I decided that if Lord Mayor's 
Day did nothing else than help them enjoy them- 
selves, it was worth continuing for that purpose 
alone. 

I wrote my opinion of the " Show " for one of the 
papers, and it appeared the next day. You may be 
sure it was not a complimentary one, for I said exactly 
what I thought. Next day I heard a man say that in 
his opinion that young Yankee ought to be stopped 
criticizing everything he saw, for what did he know 
about it, anyway ? I smiled in my sleeve, and thought 
up another article on Englishmen. 

Of course I didn't leave London without having 
seen a typical " pea-soup " fog. I wouldn't have felt 
satisfied had I done so, and I was glad when the en- 
tire last week of my stay in the metropolis turned out 
to be foggy. I was perhaps the only person in Lon- 
don who was glad to see the windows covered with 
steam morning after morning, and find that I couldn't 
see three feet ahead of me when I went out. 

It was a great occasion for me, and I went out every 
morning just to see if I couldn't get around without 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 257 

getting lost. I always ended up about a mile out of 
my way, though, or else I walked around in a circle 
and finally arrived again at my starting place. The 
whole air was one mass of gray smoke and mist, mostly 
smoke, I thought, for my eyes smarted constantly. 
On one day it was so dense that I couldn't see the gas 
lamps more than a few feet away, and I couldn't get to 
the city because the trams and buses were not running. 
Business was practically at a standstill, and those who 
ventured out carried lanterns or torches with them. 

It was a strange experience for me, and I enjoyed 
it very much. I was lost nearly every day during the 
spell, and would have to ask a policeman to set me 
right again. There weren't many wagons in the 
streets or it would have been very dangerous to go 
out, since I wouldn't have been able to see them until 
they were upon me. As it was, there were many acci- 
dents, both in the streets and on the railways. I 
marveled that the trains were allowed to run at all, 
for the only signaling they could do was with tor- 
pedoes, and they weren't always to be depended upon. 

This state of affairs lasted several days, and I was 
glad when it was over, though I had enjoyed the novel 
experience. The day I had decided to sail for home 
was fast approaching, though, and there were very 
many -things that I had to do before it arrived. I 



258 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

couldn't accomplish anything while the fog lasted, and 
if it had kept up I would have been obliged to leave 
without seeing any of my friends again. 

During this last visit in London I was very fortu- 
nate in making many friends. I was given introduc- 
tions to many prominent folks who were very inter- 
esting and very helpful. Mr. W. T. Stead, editor of 
the " Review of Reviews " in England, was particularly 
kind, and did all he could to help me in every way. 
He asked me to his house, and gave me introductions 
to other people whom he thought could help me, and 
I had a very delightful time. 

I was fortunate in meeting some of the literary men 
of the metropolis, too, and received very much encour- 
agement from them. They one and all advised me to 
keep forging ahead as I had started out and I would 
be sure to succeed. They gave me good advice and 
letters to friends of theirs in New York, so that their 
acquaintance was very valuable to me. 

I also met some of the theatrical people, and was 
fortunate in obtaining seats to visit all the theaters. 
The papers had talked so much about me that I had 
become fairly well known, and I had only to ask for a 
seat when it would be sent me. In that way I was 
enabled to see some of the finest productions in the 
world, and some of the greatest actors, too. So I had 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 259 

a very good time during my last days in London- 
town. 

I had decided upon the twenty-seventh of Novem- 
ber as the date upon which to sail for New York, and I 
had selected the very fastest steamer I could get. It 
was the famous " St. Paul," and you can guess that I 
purchased a first-class ticket. My feelings as I did so 
may be imagined. I had been too poor to afford even 
a steerage ticket on the journey over, and now I was 
able to travel first-class. It showed, for one thing, 
that my trip had been successful, and I was thankful. 
It was good to be able to go back better than I had 
come, and I felt that my hardships were beginning 
to be rewarded ; that they had not been borne in 
vain. 

I could hardly contain myself as the eventful day 
drew near. I could think of nothing but America and 
home. I know I must have bored my friends unmer- 
cifully with tales of the incomparable loveliness of my 
dear country. I told them that no land could com- 
pare with it, and my enthusiasm was of an entirely 
different quality from that of seven months before, 
when I thought that there could be no place like 
Europe. 

There were but few preparations that I had to 
make for my departure. I bought myself some clothes 



260 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

at ridiculously low prices that are unheard of here. I 
wanted to have an entirely new outfit, and since I was 
now able to afford it I saw no reason why I shouldn't 
gratify my desire. And of course I had many calls to 
make. 

I went around to see all the editors who were so 
good to me, and received their good wishes for my 
future. They all congratulated me upon the success 
of my trip, and each one gave me advice about my 
future, and what I must and must not do. They took 
a really flattering interest in my career, and I promised 
to keep them informed as to my progress along the 
rough road of journalistic success. 

Then I had to go to dinner with some of my 
friends, and,' last of all, I took a farewell tour of dear 
old London. I went to Westminster Abbey, to which 
I had become marvelously attached, and sat for an 
hour, wishing all the time that it could be moved to 
Chicago. 

Then I went to the Tower of London, where I took 
a last look at the historic prisons, and again to the 
Mansion House to tell the Lord Mayor good-bye. 
He promised to send me his picture, and sure enough 
he did, and it was a fine large one, too. He was one 
of the most earnest in his good wishes, and I will 
always remember him with pleasant thoughts. Then 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 261 

I visited the Strand and Fleet street for the very last 
time, and old St. Paul's as well. 

And when I had seen everything, and had packed 
my trunk, for I had been obliged to buy one, I felt 
that I was good and ready to go home. 



CHAPTER XXVI. 

A SPECIAL train, bearing the passengers going to 
New York on the great steamer, left Waterloo Station 
in London early on the morning of the twenty-seventh 
of November. I was up early in my lodgings, doing 
the last little necessary things that had to be done be- 
fore taking the train. 

I was both joyful and sad. I was happy to be on 
the verge of leaving for home, and yet, as I looked out 
and saw the old, familiar fog, I almost wished that I 
might live in London forever. I did not know my 
love for the city until I prepared to leave it, and I 
longed with all my heart to have my home in the 
great metropolis, with its fogs and dirt and traffic, 
which were all delightful in London, when they would 
have been abominable anywhere else. 

I sadly put my little hand luggage in my satchel 
and set out for the station. As I walked along I felt 
that I was about to take leave of an old friend, and I 
felt very down-hearted and miserable for awhile. 

But when I arrived at the station and took my place 
in the train with the other passengers, my sudden at- 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 263 

tack of melancholy passed away, and I was all eager- 
ness to be off for Southampton. The train left on 
time, and we were whirled southward through the 
hills and valleys of lovely England to the city by the 
sea, where the steamer was awaiting us with great 
clouds of smoke issuing from her funnels and all 
steam up, ready to start at any moment. 

The passengers swarmed about the pier for a few 
minutes attending to their baggage, and then every 
one was ordered to get aboard, as the hour for sailing 
had come. Then the women kissed each other and 
sobbed loudly, and the men shook hands, some of 
them with tears in their eyes. 

I had not realized before what a momentous event 
it was to sail away across the sea, and I was glad that 
mother wasn't there to cry for me. As it was, I stood 
on deck and watched the partings on the pier below, 
and I was truly glad when they were all over and 
every one was aboard. 

Then they waved their handkerchiefs and talked 
back and forth for some time, until finally the vessel 
gave a great screech and went out into midstream. 
And as she moved slowly and majestically down the 
great river, I could see the tearful faces of those who 
were left behind and hear the sobs of those who were 
leaving them. It was a joyful time for me, but I fully 



264 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

sympathized with those who were leaving home and 
friends instead of going to them. 

Late in the afternoon of that important day we lost 
sight of land entirely, and I felt that I was well on 
the way to New York. I retired to my state-room, 
and as the waves grew higher and higher I became 
more and more sick, and finally collapsed entirely. Oh, 
how glad I Was that I didn't have to slave away in a 
hot, stuffy pantry, washing dishes and making coffee 
that nobody liked. I looked back on the voyage over 
as a horrible nightmare, though I didn't think it so 
very bad at the time. 

There was but little that was interesting on that 
voyage to New York. I went through the same dull 
routine day after day, just eating and sleeping and be- 
ing sea-sick every other day. I talked with the passen- 
gers when I was able to be on deck, and they were vastly 
interested in the story of my adventures. They 
wanted to arrange a meeting in the saloon at which I 
was to give an account in detail, but I didn't feel equal 
to the task when the night came round. 

I was indeed sea-sick most of the time. The 
doctor came and gave me some powders and pills 
that didn't help me in the least, and the stewards 
poured beef tea down my throat continually, but I'm 
sure I would have been better much sooner if they had 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 265 

let me alone. The stuff they gave me only made me 
worse. 

I found much to interest me among the steerage 
passengers in the hold, and really enjoyed talking to 
them more than to the cabin people. They knew any 
number of good stories, had traveled almost every- 
where, and were as a rule very nice men and women. 
They got along very well, and their fare was as good 
as the majority of people get on land. They com- 
plained that there was a predominance of that mysteri- 
ous concoction called Irish stew, but one day they all 
refused to eat it, and the stewards fixed up something 
else after that. 

The sixth day of the voyage was the most interest- 
ing of the lot. I was at the rail all day long looking 
for a sight of land, though the officers said we couldn't 
possibly reach New York before night. They were 
right, of course, for the morning and afternoon went 
by without any indication that we were near shore. 
I then remained on deck after dinner, determined 
to see the shore lights, anyhow. 

It was about ten o'clock when we came in sight of 
Sandy Hook lighthouse, and I could have screamed 
for joy. I was simply wild as the vessel steamed up 
into the lower harbor and anchored there for the 
night. We had all hoped to land before morning, but 



266 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

were content so long as we were in sight of land, any- 
how. 

I, for one, didn't sleep much that night, and was on 
deck at three o'clock in the morning, waiting for the 
dawn that I might see the shore. It was a long, 
dreary wait, for the sun is lazy about getting up in 
December, but, finally, little by little, I could see the 
buildings on the shore of Long Island. 

Early the next morning the vessel moved up the 
bay to her pier, and I was soon standing on American 
soil once more. My heart gave a great bound as I 
ran down the gangway and onto the pier, and I 
breathed a prayer of thanks that I was safe in my 
own dear land. 

It was some time before my baggage was passed 
by the customs officers, and then I went at once to 
the same little hotel where I had stopped before sail- 
ing for London on the cattle-ship. The people there 
welcomed me back with great rejoicing, for they had 
known what I was going for and all about the trip. 
They soon gave me welcome news of the articles I 
had sent over from the other side. They had ap- 
peared in the paper, and therefore I would be paid for 
them in due time. This was good news to me, for I 
had feared that they wouldn't want to have anything 
more to do with me. 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 267 

As soon as I was settled in my room, I went out 
into the street, where everything looked very new and 
strange to me. I might have never been in New 
York before to judge by my feelings, for I found my- 
self looking with curiosity at the elevated railroads 
and the cable cars. 

When I went into Broadway and saw the tall build- 
ings I was really surprised, and the whole thing was 
very ludicrous. It had been so long since I had seen 
anything American, and so much had transpired to 
make me forget New York while I was away, that 
everything was new and interesting. 

One of the very first things I did was to buy some 
bananas from a man in the street. I hadn't had any 
since leaving New York, for though they had them in 
London and Paris, they charged such exorbitant 
prices for them that I never felt that I could afford to 
buy any. And how I did enjoy these that were good 
and fresh. Then I went and bought some ice-cream 
soda, for I hadn't tasted any of that either since my 
departure so long before. I drank several glasses 
during the day, for I had been so fond of it that while 
unable to get any my appetite seemed to have accu- 
mulated. 

As soon as my appetite for bananas and ice-cream 
soda had been satisfied, I decided to visit the news- 



268 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

paper offices. I need not say that I received a better 
reception than on my first visit to New York, and I 
had a thoroughly good time. Of course the afternoon 
papers had accounts of my arrival and mention of 
my remarkable experiences while abroad, so that I 
seemed to have everything needful to make me happy. 

One of the very first things I asked the editors was 
why they hadn't sent me any money for the articles I 
mailed them. " Why," was the astonishing reply, 
" we thought it would be much more interesting for 
you to be without any money except what you made 
yourself, and we supposed that you would just as 
soon have it upon your return." I smiled rather 
feebly, "Well, it was interesting," I said, "but 
rather unpleasant sometimes ; " and I thought of 
those days in Paris. It was all over now, though, 
and I wasn't likely to be so short of money soon 
again. 

I was commissioned by one of the editors to write 
a whole page giving an outline of my experiences for 
his Sunday paper, and this I did. It appeared in the 
Christmas number, and I couldn't help feeling proud 
that where I had once been given columns to write I 
was now told to hand in pages. It was one sign out 
of many that I had succeeded in doing what I set out 
to do. It was pleasing to my friends, too, this page 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS, 269 

of my experiences, and I sent some copies off to Eng- 
land on the next steamer. 

I did not think of leaving New York for the West 
before I had made arrangements for a permanent posi- 
tion with one of the great papers after the holidays, 
and I really had no difficulty in getting a place. My 
success seemed to have made a place for me most 
anywhere, and everywhere I went I was congratulated 
on my achievement. 

It was all very delightful and pleasant, but even 
though I was having as good a time as I could wish 
in the metropolis, I was anxious to be off for Illinois, 
where I knew the best of friends were awaiting me 
with impatience. There was one friend there who 
had watched my progress with an interest amounting 
almost to mania, a friend whose prayers had helped 
me on. And I was anxious to go to her. 

Though I made some money during my short 
sojourn in New York, I did not have so much that I 
could afford to spend any more than was necessary. 
So when I was talking one day with the President of 
one of the great railroads between New York and 
Chicago, and he seemed so very much interested in 
the story of my trip, I suggested that I would like to 
get home as soon as possible. Always thoughtful 
and -kindly, he immediately wrote me out a return 



270 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

ticket, and told me to waste no time in going home. 
I could hardly thank him enough for this favor that 
meant so much to me, but he only said that he under- 
stood my feelings and was glad to be of any aid at all 
to me. 

And this seemed to be the one thing needed to 
complete my happiness. I made rapid preparations 
to leave for the West, because Christmas was only 
four days off, and I must be home then by all means. 



CHAPTER XXVII. 

As the limited on the New York Central sped West- 
ward towards Chicago and Mattoon, I thought over 
all the events of my trip. I remembered the first 
disappointing days when I was in New York trying to 
get a chance to work my passage, and when I had to 
bear so many unkind words without a murmur. I 
thought of the twelve long days spent in washing 
dishes on the cattle-ship, and wondered if the first 
officer had ever wished himself able to punish me for 
running off that day when the ship lay in the Thames 
off London. 

Then there were the first joyful days in the British 
metropolis, when everything had seemed so bright 
and happy, and the following days when I began to 
realize the immense undertaking that I had upon my 
shoulders. I remembered dear Mr. Gladstone as 
though it had been but yesterday that I talked with 
him at Hawarden, and when I read in the New York 
morning paper that he was failing rapidly a great lump 
came into my throat, for I had learned to think of him 



272 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

with the kindest feelings possible. For he was one of 
the very first to make my trip a success. 

I saw in my mind, as we passed along over the snow- 
covered fields of the Empire State, the Queen as she 
looked when I saw her at Windsor,andremembered how 
she had been so very solicitous of my future. " Really, 
I must write and say that I have arrived," I murmured 
to myself, " for she might be interested in knowing." I 
thought of my journeys in Belgium, Holland and Ger- 
many, how I had seen old King Leopold, and how I 
had moved in high society at Homburg. It was all so 
interesting to remember that I scarcely noticed the 
passage of time, anxious as I was to reach Chicago. 

When I came to thinking of that day when I was 
lost in the high Alps I shuddered as I looked out over 
the fields of snow, and was thankful that I wasn't in 
the Alps then. And when I remembered that pitiful 
journey through Eastern France, when I hadn't a 
friend in the world, I thought, it did me good to 
think of the friends who had welcomed me in New 
York and were waiting to welcome me at home. 

So, as I thought the whole thing over, mile by 
mile, I said to myself that though I was glad that it 
was all over, I was more thankful that I had been 
through it all. I thought of all the great men and 
women I had been privileged to meet, of the vast 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 273 

knowledge I had gained of men and things, and I 
knew instinctively that I was a much better and a 
wiser boy for all that I had passed through. 

There were unpleasant times, of course, but the 
pleasant ones, the moments of exquisite triumph, far 
outweighed the times when I wished myself back in 
Chicago. I had found out my capabilities and my 
limitations as well, and I was ready -to keep on ad- 
vancing, for now I knew where I was going and just 
how far I could go without giving out. 

In fact, I decided then, and I have since seen no 
reason to say differently, that there can be no reckon- 
ing of the advantages I gained on my pilgrimage to 
Europe. I could think of no disadvantages at all, and 
I was certainly better off in a hundred ways than 
when I started out. 

I took out my note-book to figure out the exact 
amount of money I had spent while I was gone. I 
had left New York with twenty-five dollars, and had 
earned about thirty in London, so that I spent fifty- 
five dollars during the time from the day I left New 
York until I arrived in London for the second time. 
Of course I had earned a little while oh the Continent, 
not more than fifteen dollars in all, and that would 
raise the amount to seventy dollars. 

I had spent, then, during my tour of Europe, just 



274 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

seventy dollars, for I didn't think it fair to count my 
second stay in London or my voyage home, which 
would of course have added considerably to the cost. 

It was just about five months since I arrived in 
London when I returned, so that in five months I 
spent about seventy dollars, which is at the rate of 
about forty-seven cents a day, including carfare and 
all expenses of every kind. It was much less, of 
course, while I was on the Continent, for there I had 
to economize more than in London. In Paris I spent 
quite a little in a very few days, and that is what 
makes the rate per day so much more than twenty-five 
cents, which was what I tried to keep it at in Belgium 
and Germany. 

I figured that the whole trip, from Chicago and 
back again, had cost me but a very little more than a 
hundred dollars, for I had hardly any expense during 
my second stay in New York and London. And I was 
myself astonished at the lowness of the figures, for 
though I knew I had been very economical at times, 
I supposed that the general average would be higher. 

Finally, very early in the morning, the train pulled 
into Chicago, and after consulting the time-table, I 
decided that I would have time to see Mr. Kirk over 
at my old office before leaving at eight o'clock for 
Mattoon. I had planned to stay in Chicago a day at 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 275 

least, but mother was anxious to have me home, and 
a day was a very great difference to her. 

So I left my satchel at the station and made my 
way through the familiar streets to the office where I 
had spent so many happy days. I opened the door 
and noiselessly entered the room. There was my 
good, true friend, seated at his desk, with his back 
towards me. I walked on my tip-toes and stood just 
behind him. Then I called him. 

It was worth a great deal to see the expression on 
his face, for he had no idea that I would be coming. 
He was truly glad to see me back, and I spent a happy 
half hour telling him of the people I had seen and 
how I had worn the suit he gave me all over Europe. 

I took the train at eight o'clock for Mattoon, and 
as we whizzed past the fields I was thinking of nothing 
but home. I had my face pressed to the window, and 
as we neared the town I noted each familiar farmhouse, 
each barn and shed. It had been a year since I had 
last seen them, but everything looked just the same ; 
things don't change fast in the country. 

My heart beat faster and faster as the train pulled 
up to the station platform, and I felt actually weak 
and faint. I went to the door and saw a crowd there 
to meet me. ' All the neighbors and some of my 
school-time friends were there, but though I was glad 



276 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

to see them, I looked for dearer faces and found them. 
My father and sister were there, but I looked in vain 
for mother. "Where is she?" I asked, first thing, 
and they explained that she had remained at home to 
welcome me there. 

I waited to hear no more, but tearing myself away 
from the crowd, I ran up the street as hard as I could 
go, reached the old house, was through the gate, and 
then mother's arms were about my neck. I was truly 
home at last, and no one can know the joy of that 
moment. 

Every one can imagine the tears, the smiles, the talk- 
ing that followed, and the old home full of happi- 
ness. They told me that a reception had been ar- 
ranged for me at the church that night, and it was to 
be public, so that every one could see me. I seemed 
to be looked upon as a curiosity. 

When the evening came the church was filled with 
all my friends, or at least the ones for whom I cared 
the most. They gave me a delightful reception, and 
I mounted the platform to tell them of my adventures. 
They seemed to enjoy the story immensely, and it was 
a happy time for every one. 

Of the days that followed I need not speak. That 
they were filled with happiness goes without saying, 
and I was the most happy one of all, unless mother 



A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 277 

was more so. She triumphed in my success, and when 
I told her that it was her mother's prayers that had 
carried me through, her eyes filled with tears of 
joy, and she said that she was never so happy in her 
life. 

And so my trip was over. I spent the holidays at 
home, happy to be once more with those who loved 
me. It was so good not to worry about where I was 
to get my next meal, or to scrimp because I had spent 
a few cents more than my daily allowance. I sat in 
the kitchen with mother and talked when I wasn't 
telling a room full of callers about the time I saw the 
Queen. I enjoyed myself thoroughly, more than at 
any moment in Europe. 

One day I read my journals through. I had kept 
them carefully, and had written down almost every 
feeling that took possession of me during my tour. I 
could tell by looking at them when I had been home- 
sick, and when I'd been hungry, when I was happy, 
and when I was sad. And, as I read it all, I decided 
that I wouldn't care to undertake it all again, for I 
might not be so fortunate. 

Some guardian angel seemed to have watched over 
me all the time I was gone, and I wouldn't advise any 
boy to try it who isn't sure that some angel will guard 
him. And as it is hard to tell about such things, it 



278 A YANKEE BOY'S SUCCESS. 

would be risky for any one to attempt the same trip 
under the same circumstances. 

At the end of the holidays I returned to New York 
and took my place on the paper. Mother was almost 
as sorrowful at this departure as she was when I went 
to Europe, for she had hoped to have me remain at 
home. My ambition, however, wasn't satisfied, and I 
felt it my duty to work in New York. 

A month had scarcely passed when I was called 
home. Mother was dying, and I was just in time to 
receive her last words. The one who was responsible 
for most of my success left me just when my success 
was greatest. Her prayers had been answered and 
her work was done. 



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